A Deep Lake and a Shallow Pool

There were once two ponds or rather one beautiful, deep lake that was cool and bountiful all year long and one shallow pool that would nearly dry up every summer when the rains stopped.

In the shallow pool there lived many fish, and during the summer they were very crowded and struggled to find enough to eat. Even though it wasn’t easy, every summer the fish managed to survive and grew stronger because of it.

Not far from the shallow pool was the deep lake which was surrounded by mango trees. Beneath one of these mango trees lived a conniving crane. There were plenty of fish and bugs to eat in and around the lake, and the crane was not hungry by any means. The bugs were very easy to catch, but the crane did not particularly like eating bugs. The crane much preferred fish. However, the water was so deep the fish could easily hide from the crane which made catching them very difficult.

One summer the conniving crane happened upon the shallow pool when the water level had sunk very low. After seeing all the struggling fish, the crane thought of an idea.

The next day the crane came to the shallow pool and stuck his head right into the middle of all the fish and shared his proposal.

“I see all you brave fish struggling to survive in this perilous, paltry puddle, and it breaks my heart. There is a beautiful, deep lake not far from here that is overflowing with bounty to be shared. There is so much more to life than to struggle. Wouldn’t you all like to live a life of leisure in the comfort of a bountiful lake that never dries up?”

The fish were initially terrified to see the head of a predator suddenly appear in their midst, but many fish were intrigued by the crane’s words. These fish felt like their annual summer struggle to survive was keeping them from a better life, and upon hearing the crane's words they began to consider the possibility of a comfortable life all year long. They wanted to hear more.

The crane continued, “I would gladly carry each of you over to the deep lake were I live and you can spend the rest of your lives in the cool shade of the mango trees.”

This excited the fish very much, but just then the clever crab that lived beneath the flat boulder at the deepest part of the pool crawled from beneath his rock and addressed the fish.

“Why would a crane whose favorite meal is fish care about our happiness? This cunning crane must be up to something!”

The crab's words awakened the fish previously enthralled by the crabs promise to the threat whose sharp beak was bobbing in front of them. However, at this moment a brave old fish who had lived through more dry times than any other spoke up.

“I have a way to know if this crane is speaking the truth! I will go to this lake with the crane. If he is honest he will bring me back here, and I will share what I’ve seen.”

A chorus of fish cried out from all around him, "What if he is not honest?" and "What if he just wants an easy snack?"

“If the crane is not honest… I have lived a long life and have struggled very much. Either way I’ll be happy to have some rest.”

The clever crab continued to protest, but the old fish's bravery and the possibility of paradise captivated the the other fish, and they could no longer hear his arguments. With that the brave old fish swam into the beak of the cunning crane, and off they flew.

It was not long before the brave old fish returned safely in the treacherous beak of the crane with unending praise for the beauty and bounty of the lake and for the crafty crane who carried him so gently there and back. When the old fish finished his tale the other fish were bursting with excitement and could not wait for their chance to move to the lake.

The clever crab remained unconvinced.

“We have struggled,” he bellowed, “in this shallow pool, this is true, but we have survived and grown stronger because of it. Even though the brave old fish speaks of bounty and comfort in the deep and shaded lake, what does he know of the dangers in those depths or in those trees? You can be sure every place has its own struggles. So, will you swim blindly into the salivating mouth promising you an easy life, or will you continue to struggle here as we have for generations so that there can be more generations to come?”

The crab’s speech made many of the fish decide to stay, but still some wished to leave. Throughout the rest of the summer the crane would stop by the shallow pond every day and dip his open beak into the water. Every day a fish worn out from the daily struggle would swim full of hope into the crane's beak and be carried away to meet their fate below the mango trees.

When the summer finally ended and the clever crab and all the strong-willed fish that had made it through the dry season regained their strength, they grew curious about the fate of those that had trusted the crane. Being the only one able to walk on land the crab was volunteered to travel to the lake and report back on the status of the others.

The crab agreed and made his way to the beautiful, deep lake where he asked the first fish he found about all the new fish the conniving crane had been dropping off all summer. The strange fish replied, “I didn’t see any new fish, but it is a very big lake. However, I have noticed that lazy crane who lives beneath the mango trees has been looking plump.

Author's Note:

My story "A Deep Lake and a Shallow Pool" is a retelling of "The Cunning Crane and the Crab." In the original story a crane convinces the fish in a small pool that is swelteringly hot in the summer sun to allow him to carry each of them to a large shaded lake where they can live more comfortably. To test the crane an old one-eyed fish agrees to be carried to the lake and back which the crane does. However, once the fish trust the crane, instead of carrying the fish to the lake he kills and eats them. This continues until only a crab is left in the pool. The crab then outsmarts the crane by holding onto the crane's neck with his claw. When the crane tries to betray the crab the crab threatens the crane with the claw around his neck, and the crane flies the crab safely to the lake where the crab kills the crane anyway.

I chose to focus my story on how the fish were willing to go against their better judgement and trust the crane because they were so desperate for the crane's promise to be true. The fish that leave lose their lives because they are willing to bet on an easy way out of a tough situation instead of fighting through with their own strength.

Bibliography. "The Cunning Crane and the Crab" from The Giant Crab, and Other Tales from Old India by W.H.D. Rouse. Web source.

Image credit: Grey Crowned Crane Africa Canes Bird Tanzania, Max Pixel.