238th story

The green snake of our story lived in the green land. He was very shy, actually too shy to play or talk to others. He was always quiet and all the animals in the green land liked him very much.

One day the turtle said hi to the green snake and suggested he smell the pennyroyal.

The green snake didn’t like the smell of pennyroyal. Frankly, it couldn’t stand the smell. Nonetheless, it was too shy to say it to the turtle.

The turtle went to his other friends and told them: ” The green snake loved the smell of the pennyroyal. Yet, it grows far from his place.”

The rabbit said: ” We should plant some near his place.”

The lizard said: ” What a great idea.”

The weasel said: ” I would like to help too.”

They all brought some pennyroyal with roots from another part and planted all around the green snake’s place.

The next morning, the green snake came out of his nest. He saw all the pennyroyals around him. He fainted.

All his friends were hiding. They wanted to see how happy the green snake would get when he saw the pennyroyals. They got worried.

They sat beside him and every time the green snake opened his eyes and saw the pennyroyals fainted again. The friends put him inside his house and checked on him every day.

Days passed and the green snake got weaker.

The friends asked the green snake: ” You were healthy, what happened to you?”

” PENNYROYAL.” The green snake said weakly.

Rabbit replied: ” You want the pennyroyal inside your nest?”

The green snake realized that if he didn’t speak up in life, others would decide for him. So, he screamed: “NO, NO. I HATE IT.’

This would be our lives if we let others decide for us.