Week 2 Story: The Cowardly, Timid Boy

Updated Version

Figure 1: Statue of Man Killing a Snake Pixabay

Far away, by a remote village, there was a dark forest, and in that forest lived a terrible serpent. Beside this forest was a small cottage, and in that cottage sat a young boy, slurping soup, relaxing in a blanket, and pretending that the serpent didn't exist. That whole town pretended that there was no serpent; they lived in fear of it, and the slightest mention threatened to send the town into a panic. The animals in the forest feared the serpent, constantly worrying that it would devour them.

A giant lion passed through the town. As he did, he noticed the small boy. Perhaps at another time he would simply have eaten the child, but the boy's cowardice dismayed him such that he could not even muster the will to devour him. Incensed by the child's inaction, the lion leaped through an open window and into the boy's room. There he spoke to the child.

"Rawr"

"But that serpent is terrifying."

"Grawr"

"But he will devour me if I confront him"

"Phfft"

"Well, he will devour the world soon, so I might as well sit here in my blanket and drink soup"

"Huff"

"I'm not panicking, I've just accepted the way of the world"

"Huff"

"No, I'm not"

"Grawr"

"I'm not a coward, I just don't want to face him"

“RAWWWRRR!!”

The lion slammed his paws into the ground and motioned for the child to enter the forest. The child refused. The lion swiped off his blanket, picked up the child by the scruff of the neck, and carried him to the edge of the forest. 

"But how will I fight the serpent?"

The lion clipped one of his claws and gave the clipping to the boy. To the lion, it was nothing, but to the boy, it was a weapon so heavy he could barely lift it. With that, the lion swatted the boy into the woods.

"Rawr"

"Fine, but if I get eaten, it’s your fault."

As the boy walked through the woods, he saw the animals cowering or running in fear. They screamed that this serpent would devour the world. Deer sprinted all about him, and rabbits screamed in fear in their burrows. Birds and fish ran amok, and rats desperately burrowed into the ground. But as he walked, the animals took notice. Some told him to turn back, while others dismissed him, but a far few watched him eagerly. Eventually, in the center of the forest, the boy found the serpent's lair. 

"Terrible Serpent! I have come to destroy you!"

The serpent slithered from his burrow and displayed his full length, he was an unfathomable three feet long, and nearly an inch thick. Seeing the boy, he reared to his full one-foot height, and flared his two-inch hood. He opened his mouth and displayed his massive half inch fangs; deadly venom dripped from his fangs, venom that left the ground barren for a day and would leave a man's arm sore for a week. 

The boy charged the terrible serpent and slashed his claw clipping through its neck, killing it. He took the snake's body home and had himself a bowl of snake soup. It was the best soup he'd had in weeks. All the animals and townsfolk rejoiced as they learnt of the serpent’s end, and the lion came to visit one last time.

"Rawr"

"You're right, it was much fear for a small snake"

"Grar"

"I suppose I would still be cowering in fear without you."

The Foolish, Timid Rabbit from Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt

Author's Note:

While most of the details have changed, the core plot of the story remained roughly the same. There was great fear of a threat that, when confronted, was revealed to be of little or no real danger. I suppose that I didn't establish how the snake became so feared, but I found that part of the original story to be the least effective anyways. I also made sure to leave the lion in, as I found his character an interesting departure from the "Sky is Falling" versions of the story that I had heard before. I also chose to make the threat a snake, as I felt that having there be some danger to the initial threat would make the story more realistic. Finally, I changed the protagonist into a young child, because learning to confront your fears is a lesson that should be taught to children, not rabbits.