Out of the Frying Pan into the Fire
Once upon a time, in the cool depths of a clear river that foamed with joy, there lived a little fish with silver scales. Gliding gracefully beneath the water, it enjoyed its freedom and the vast waves all day long. One evening, however, a sly fisherman came to the hidden bank of the river and quietly dropped his line into the water. Deceived by the tempting smell of the shiny bait, the silver fish was caught within seconds on the point of a sharp hook. In the shade of the trees a greedy fire was smoking, and on the fire a hot pan was sizzling, waiting for the fish. The fisherman pulled the unlucky fish to the shore and, without losing a moment, threw it into the pan whose oil was bubbling.
Burning terribly at the searing touch of the hot oil, the fish began to thrash about in great horror. "This heat is unbearable, my body is burning badly!" it cried out in pain. The narrow edges of the pan seemed to it like a prison, and it desperately looked for a way of escape. Closing its eyes with fury and shaking its tail with all its strength, it leapt upward from the edge of the pan. The moment it rose into the air, believing it had won back its freedom, the dream of returning to the cool rivers came alive in its mind. "I have done it, at last I am free of this terrible pan and the hot oil!" it shouted with joy.
Yet the place where its helpless body, gliding in the arms of the wind, would fall was not the cool water it had hoped for. The silver fish fell right into the middle of the red hot coals that were burning just beneath the pan. The destructive heat of the fire, wrapping it directly, covered its body with a pain so merciless that it made the pan seem gentle. With its last breath it understood that this thoughtless leap of escape had dragged it into a far greater disaster. It realized that the pan, which burned less, had been far more bearable than the glowing embers into which it had fallen. As it shrivelled in the merciless heat of the coals, it looked at the sky with eyes full of regret and helplessly gave its last breath. Steps taken thoughtlessly in a moment of fear can push a person into the arms of disasters far worse than the trouble at hand. Out of the frying pan into the fire.