Squirrel and Boar

A frost came to the valley one fall day and Squirrel said to herself, “Ah it is time I store my food for the winter.”



She began scurrying to and fro, gathering what nuts she could.  While she did this, Boar came by and watched her.  After a time, he saw that she was burying her nuts in many different places.



Now Boar was hungry and, unlike Squirrel, he couldn’t hide from winter’s chill in a tree all season long.  Nor could he store his food in his little hollow.  So he thought to himself, “If I can get Squirrel’s food, it should last me the winter.”



Boar called out to Squirrel and said, “Ho madam.  What are you doing there? Scurrying to and fro?”



Squirrel peered up at him inquisitively, for she was young and did not know the nature of boars.  So she did not think twice about approaching him.



“Ho good sir.  I am gathering food for this coming winter.  If I do not, then I will have nothing to eat in the coming days.”



Boar mused for a moment and then said, “I see…but it seems you are laying your things everywhere.  When the snow comes and covers the earth, how will you know where they are?”



Squirrel wondered to herself.  She was not quite certain if she would be able to find them all when winter changed the landscape.



“What would you suggest I do good sir?” she asked him politely.



Boar chuckled.  “Gather them in one place, somewhere near your home.  Then, you will be able to find them all.”



Squirrel heeded his seemingly wise advice.  She went back to collect her nuts and put them under her tree. 



Then he said to her, “Ah this should be good.  But I wonder now…”



Squirrel twitched her tail eagerly.  “What is it wise sir?  Is there something I’ve done wrong?”



Boar shook is head.  “No no madam.  It’s simply that…the entrance to your house looks rather wide.  If you make it smaller, then you will be able to keep the chill out.”



Squirrel thought about this and agreed.  So she went to work making the entrance to her house smaller and indeed it was quite warm.  But now she had difficult getting inside and outside.



She returned to Boar and told him this.



Boar mused for a moment, though he knew full well that this would be the case.  Finally he told her,  “If you fast for awhile, you will become thinner.  Then you will be able to enter easily.  While you fast, take the food you would have eaten and store it as well.  I guarantee you a happy winter then.”



Squirrel agreed and she began to fast and store, fast and store.



As the days shortened and night lengthened, Squirrel had so much in her store she could barely fit it under the tree.  When Boar came by to see her progress she greeted him happily.



“Hello wise Boar.  Thanks to your advice, it is as you say.  I have twice as much in store.  Though I am quite hungry now, I know I will be satisfied when winter comes.”



Boar laughed to himself at her nativity, but he said out loud, “Very good child. Very good.  And yet…”



Squirrel cocked her head curiously at him once more.  “What is it kind sir?”



“It seems your storage is rather full, won’t it be easy for another squirrel to find it?”



Squirrel gasped, for what he said was true.  She looked sadly at her feet, feeling her efforts had been in vain.



“Now now child, don’t be sad.  Take heart. I have another idea.  Let’s take them to my place, it’s not far.  I will keep them safe for you and then, when you are hungry, you need only come to me.”



Squirrel refused at first, “Oh I could never impose such a thing on you after all your help.”



Boar shook his head.  “No I insist. It will be no trouble for me.  After all, I feel partially responsible for not having suggested a better place sooner.”



Because he spoke kindly, Squirrel did not doubt Boar.  With his help, she gathered her food and hid it in his place.



Winter set in and one day, Squirrel awoke with such a hunger.  She hurried to Boar’s home for some food.  When she knocked rapidly on his door, a pained answer came, 



“Oh go away go away.  Today is not a good day to visit me.”



“It is me, Squirrel,” she called.  “I’ve come for some food.  Please let me in.”



After a moment of silence, Boar peeked out his home.  “Oh so it is little madam so it is.  You do indeed look quite famished.”  But though he spoke kindly he did not move aside for her to enter.



“Yes…indeed I am.  Please let me in so I can gather some food,” she pleaded.



Boar snorted.  “Go away.  Your food is mine now.  I have eaten quite a bit already and the rest will soon follow.”



He slammed the door in her face.



Disheartened and betrayed, Squirrel returned to her tree.  She was too weak by now to climb.  She lay down in the snow, prepared for the god of creatures to take her life.



Bear came by, big as he can be.  He saw poor Squirrel, thin and alone, weeping at the bottom of her tree.



“Little sister,” Bear said in his deep voice.  “What ails you?  Shouldn’t you be in your tree hiding from winter’s chill?”



Squirrel replied softly, too weak to move or fear the powerful Bear.  She told him her story, how Boar had tricked her into giving him her hard-earned food.



Bear bristled angrily, for he knew Boar was lazy and cruel to the creatures in these woods.  “Show me where he lives sister, and I’ll see if I can’t convince him to return your food.”



“Alas, I am too weak to even return.  It is fine now.  Soon the god of creatures will take me away where even hunger and winter can not reach.”



“Climb on my back then sister.  I promise no harm will come to you.”



Squirrel hesitated.  Though she was prepared to die, she did not want it to be a painful death between Bear’s teeth.  When she told him this, Bear laughed and said,



“Had you been full of food, perhaps I would have given it a try little sister.  But scrawny as you are now, you would be no more to me than toothpick.”



Squirrel decided to trust Bear and climbed onto his back.  Bear was true to his word.  He did not try to eat her.  So, she showed Bear the way to Boar’s house.



When they arrived, Bear knocked.



“Go away go away,” Boar said irritably.  “I told you already your food is mine.”



Bear answered slyly, “Indeed it is?  Squirrel has told me of your trickery, but I did not believe her.  I thought to myself, how could Boar be a clever creature?”



Boar came closer to his door.  “Oh?  You do not believe that Boar is clever do you?  Well I’ll show you.  Come inside and see for yourself, all her food is here and mine.”



Boar opened the door and as soon as he did, Bear snatched him up in his powerful jaws.  Boar was so full from Squirrel’s food, he could not run and hide.



“Indeed her food is here, as well as mine.  Perhaps you are only a little clever Boar, but it is the end of you.”



And so, Squirrel and Bear dined happily and passed the winter with content.  But Bear left Squirrel with a word of advice:



The greedy die under their weight.