The Parable of the Warrior and the Pineberries

Once upon a time, a young warrior was chased by a streak of snarling vicious tigers. They were big. They were mean. They were hungry. The warrior ran for a million miles through jungle and bush. He was exhausted.

The warrior came to a cliff at the edge of the jungle. Behind him he could hear the tigers crashing through the underbrush. He knew there was no turning back. He saw a thick vine growing over the edge of the rock face cliff.

He scampered down the vine, out of reach of the streak of tigers above.

The warrior lowered himself further down the vine, and glanced below. He saw a big gray wolf sitting at the bottom of the cliff, patiently waiting for him descend. He stopped. Pondered. Above, a snarling streak of tigers. Below, a hungry wolf. What to do when you don’t know what to do?

Above, a movement caught his eye. He saw a big fat black rat chewing on the very vine to which he clung. He only had a few moments before certain death – the vine was sure to break, the warrior sure to fall into the drooling jaws of the wolf below.

“The Parable of the Warrior and the Pineberries” image by wursu via DeviantArt

The young warrior noticed a luscious patch of pineberries (a cross between a strawberry and a pineapple) growing on the side of the cliff face, right next to him. They were without a doubt the plumpest, juiciest, most gorgeous pineberries he ever saw.

Since he was always hungry, he figured he might as well spend his last minute on earth eating. He reached over, picked a pineberry, and bit into it. Pineapple juice dripped down his chin and onto his chest. It is the best thing he ever ate.

Revived by the pineberry, the warrior swung over to the narrow ledge of the cliff. He plucked another pineberry, savored the flavor. Another one. Each one tasted better than the last. He sighed, stretched, and suddenly saw a trail leading down the mountain.

The warrior followed the trail, which quickly and easily led him away from the snarling streak of tigers, the hungry wolf, and the big fat black rat.