The Muskrat

Don’t let little details get the better of you.

Vices

Vices are bad habits. Society is full of them. Indeed, the contemporary youth is impatient and this had contributed immensely to the problems faced today.

In this short tale, the muskrat had demonstrated two vices that can destroy anyone – impatience and anger. We must learn to keep our thoughts, feelings, and desires in check in times of plenty or want.

A Short Tale of The Muskrat

Once upon a time, in a land far away, where the forests were untamed and animals had kingdoms, there lived a young muskrat who loved his mother and took good care of her. He would go hunting in the forests for fruits and vegetables and brought them home to feed the mother and himself.

A particular day came and he found a bed of vegetables grown by the side of a pool. He gathered them quickly. In all, he brought home nine baskets. He was overjoyed that they could feed on the vegetables for days or weeks and so he wouldn’t need to work harder. He handed the baskets to his mother.

But when the mother cooked the vegetables the nine baskets shrunk to two baskets. The muskrat upon discovering that he had only two baskets left, questioned his mother and wasn’t satisfied with her answers. So he killed her out of impatience.

Another day he went to the poolside, behold fresh vegetables blossomed again. He picked as much as he could carry, gathering nine baskets as before. As he cooked the vegetables, it all shrunk again to two baskets and it dawned on him that fresh vegetables were lighter than cooked ones. He had killed his mother for nothing! Now out of anger, he killed himself.