Week 2 story

Source: Ellsworth Young

Newest version of this story located at: https://sites.google.com/view/briannapportfolio/crane-and-crab

The summer had been like no other. The reflection of the water shone as the blazing sun, gradually heated up the shallow waters of the lake. A small quaint lake filled with a population of ordinary fish stood idle from the nearby lush environment. Along with the fish lived a single crab who kept to himself and lived in the rocks as an observer of the lake. He saw daily interactions and each day noticed the tide revealed more earth than water and the temperature slowly increased throughout the summer. As the heat increased the depth decreased, shadows overhead of nearby cranes became a regular occurrence. The fish were picked off one by one, and until that day they had the safety of the depths of the lake.
On that day the lake had increased to a depth and temperature that worried every fish in the lake, even the crab was dreading what was ahead. That day everything changed. It was no longer shadows from the cranes overhead, but Amu the crane that had come to reason with the fish. He came from the distant lake and made promises of lush cool waters and lily pads that floated further than the eye could see. Amu was not only there to gloat but appeared to have arrived in an act of kindness. The crab still sat distant among the rocks, observing Amu and the stories he told.
The senior fish, who had one eye, scarified himself to know if Amu was telling the truth. When the crane took him in his beak the lake stirred with uneasiness. The sun had moved from overhead halfway behind the hills before Amu returned. The crab anticipated the return of the senior fish and as he dropped in the water all of the fish in the lake rejoiced. The fish told of the lake not far in the distance and all that it had to offer. Amu was immediately trusted by every fish in the drought ridden lake, the crab still observed from the distance. One by one each fish fought for their chance to ride with Amu to their new home. He had promised to take each fish individually in his beak to the safety of the lush new lake.
As Amu took the last fish in his beak the crab exited the rocks. Amu returned surprised to see a crab was the only one left in the lake. The crab due to his skepticism decided to make a deal with Amu. He said that to be able to safely ride to the lake he would hold on with his claw to the neck of Amu. The crane agreed and so the crane allowed the crab to hold onto his neck. The ride was short and the crab saw in the distance the sight of a large lake with many trees surrounding it just as the crane had described. As his excitement began to grow it soon turned to dismay. As they came closer to shore the crab saw a pile of fishbones near the shore and he immediately knew his instincts about Amu were correct. The crane told him that he planned to eat the crab along with every fish he had eaten. In that moment the crab threatened him with his claw. In a state of panic the crane was forced to take the crab to the shore of the waters. When the crane landed the crab snapped his claw and the crane died. The crab crawled into the water and found a pile of rocks. A new home for him to observe the surrounding of the new lake, and less of reason for him to ever leave the rocks near the cranes again.

Note: This is a revised version of the cunning crab and the crane with focus on the experience of the crab in the lake

"The cunning crane and the crab" from Jataka Anthology