A Fable: Spider and Hawk

Dear Readers,

A lesson I wish to teach this week is best conveyed first via fable, so I've written one, in the style of myth.

One day, as Spider fixed her web among the high trees, Hawk came to perch nearby.

A frequent scoffer, Hawk laughed on Spider's efforts, "You work so hard, when you could just go out and find your prey, Spider."

Spider, not one to take such remarks with a light heart, hissed, "Why should I go anywhere, when food will come to me? It's you who works too hard, Hawk."

To this, Hawk a first found little to say, but he soon dove in on an answer, "We can't both be right, Spider, but I don't know how to argue my point."

Spider, pensive, replied, "Nor can I think of a clear way to argue mine."

From beneath, Coyote called up at that very moment, "I hear your quarrel, Spider and Hawk! I think I can solve it."

Most animals learned early on, when the world was young, that Coyote could not always be trusted. Spider and Hawk both knew that in some way, his suggestion would lead to his gain. With great reservation, they both turned towards their companion on the ground.

"And how is that?" Hawk spoke first, defensive.

"An experiment! We will see who can catch more prey--she who builds the web, or he who soars the skies."

Spider, wiser than her friend, asked, "And what is in this for you, Coyote? I've never seen you offer free advice."

Coyote smiled in the way that canines do, part mirth, part threat, "Good question, Spider. I will judge your contest, and so you must provide me with one tenth of your catch for my judging fee."

Hawk and Spider nodded at each other. "It is reasonable," said Hawk.

"Then it begins now; you have one day to capture as much prey as you can." Coyote licked the edges of his mouth.

The pair set to work immediately. Hawk soared through the sky as never before, and birds and mice everywhere rushed to hide themselves beneath his sharp gaze. Still, early on, his speed and eyesight gave him a quick lead.

Spider was more patient; her passive web needed to be built so that it could catch more prey for her. She toiled and toiled to expand it through the high trees, and built more and more connections until soon her catch rivaled Hawk's.

It was then that Coyote's clever trap sprung. Hawk swept down from the sky to catch a vole, and straight into Spider's net. Trapped, he struggled to no avail to escape.

Spider, not far away, felt the vibrations and rushed to find this large animal trapped in her web. When she saw Hawk, she felt pain for him. The two were friends, even if they now competed. She set to work to free him, "I am sorry, Hawk, it seems my web has caught you."

From below, they heard laughter, "And my swift movement and clever web has caught you. Both of you, that is." They looked beneath them; there, smiling at the base of the tree, stood Coyote with a flaming branch in his teeth. He hurled it up towards them, and the web caught fire in an instant. There was no escape, not even for Spider.

"You see, my dear, departed friends, you were both right, but did not see it, and so I will feast tonight on your fresh-cooked bodies and stockpiled prey." Coyote chuckled, and waited for them to roast.

And there you have it. Think about what it could mean, and I will be back with you tomorrow.

Always,

Dr. John Skylar
Chairman
Department of Anachronism
University of Constantinople