The Ugly Brown Spider

Trickster Bunny was outside playing. It was a rather cool day in the middle of summer.

“I am getting cold,” said Trickster. “I think I will go back inside.”

Trickster started walking back home. He hopped over a log. He stopped in mid-air because something caught his eye. On top of the log, he saw the ugliest brown spider that he had ever seen. Trickster rolled over and just missed landing on it.

“You are the ugliest brown spider that I have ever seen,” said Trickster.

“I can’t believe you almost hopped right on top of me,” said the spider. “I know I am ugly but is that any reason to hop on top of me.”

Trickster couldn’t believe that the spider actually admitted that he was ugly. He then felt really bad that he had called the spider ugly.

“What have I done?” Trickster asked himself. “I called the spider ugly and now he believes it himself. How cruel can I be?”

Trickster took a good long look at the spider and he actually wasn’t all that ugly. He was actually quite beautiful in his own way.

“You know something,” said Trickster. “You aren’t ugly at all and I am sorry for saying that you were. You are actually quite beautiful.”

“Nobody has ever said that to me,” said the spider, puffing out his chest, believing what Trickster had said. “Thank you.”

Trickster’s friend, Fred Fox was walking through the forest. He saw Trickster and went over to see him.

“Why are you wasting your time talking to this ugly brown spider?” asked Fred.

“You tricked me,” said the spider angrily to Trickster. “Why would you say I am beautiful and get me thinking that I am when I am obviously just an ugly brown spider?”

Trickster took Fred aside to talk to him.

“I want you to go take a second look at the spider,” said Trickster. “I want you to tell me that you can see the beauty in him.”

“Why?” asked Fred.

“I did the exact same thing as you,” said Trickster. “The said thing is, when someone calls him ugly, he truly believes it.”

Fred took a second look at the spider just as Trickster asked him to.

“My goodness,” said Fred. “I do see that he is beautiful. Spider, I am sorry. Will you ever forgive me?”

“Yes,” said the spider, puffing out his chest again, truly thinking he was beautiful. “I forgive you.”

Trickster and Fred became very good friends with the spider. More importantly, the learned not to be so quick to judge someone.


 

Moral of this Story:

  • Words have power; use them to uplift, not to hurt.
  • Example: Trickster initially calls the spider ugly, which makes the spider believe he is ugly. However, when Trickster and Fred take a closer look, they realize the spider is actually beautiful in his own way.

Further Reading

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