The Snake and the Lizard
Once upon a time, in a quiet valley where golden yellow sands and warm rocks stretched out, there lived a snake and a lizard. The green scaly lizard ran joyfully over the rocks with its nimble feet and enjoyed the sun. The snake, gliding under the long and shadowy rocks, watched these quick steps of the lizard with envy every day. The snake did not like its own crawling and wanted the agile feet of the lizard more than anything. Finally one day, unable to hide any longer this wish that gnawed at its mind, it came before the lizard. “Tell me, neighbor, how can you run so fast and so freely?” asked the snake with curiosity. The lizard smiled in a friendly way and said that its feet were a special gift given to it by nature.
But the ambitious snake was not satisfied with this answer and offered to trade feet with the lizard. “If you lend me your feet for one day, I will offer you my most delicious prey,” said the snake. Although the little lizard knew that this offer was dangerous, it could not resist the snake's insistence and accepted. But changing the laws of nature was not such an easy and harmless task as it was thought. With great excitement the snake tried to copy the steps of the lizard, but it kept losing its balance and rolled off the rocks. The lizard, with its body that dragged over the ground, could not move and stayed helplessly nailed in its place. Before long both of them understood that they could not move with this body that did not belong to them.
Just then a giant eagle gliding in the sky noticed these two creatures struggling helplessly. When the snake and the lizard saw the danger coming closer, they grasped how much they needed their old talents. They understood their mistake at once, returned to their own true forms and dashed quickly toward the rocks. The snake took shelter in a narrow hole with its curved body, and the lizard climbed to a high crack with its agile feet. While the eagle returned empty handed, the two neighbors took a deep breath and gave thanks for their own being. No creature can ever find peace and safety if it does not live according to its own nature. Do not envy another's horse, or you will be left on foot.