A Tale of a Tail
A beautiful morning was just breaking in a Florida bayou. Sleepy Panther indulged in a long stretch, yawned, and looked about him. The early sun reflected brightly on patches of water intermingled with cypress trees, while herons walked awkwardly on their stilted legs about the long eldritch roots of mangroves.
Suddenly, the morning’s silence was pierced by a loud, heinous scream. Panther sprung to one side and spun around to see where the awful noise had come from.
“Ha! I really frightened you that time!” laughed Lynx. “I hope I didn’t scare you too badly! You’re up early for once. Isn’t it a gorgeous morning? How ‘bout we climb some trees or go for a hunt?”
“Yes, it is a fine morning,” replied Panther. “Although it would have been fairer had you not startled me with that detestable scream that only you can emit. And actually, I was about to head off to the pond.”
“To go for a swim?” asked Lynx.
“Of course not. You know how I despise water. I was going for a drink and...” Panther’s voice trailed off.
“I know. You want to gaze at your beautiful reflection.”
“Well, yes,” Panther stammered. “But it is a pretty reflection. Just look at my wonderful coat - is there any other like it? And look at my long, marvelous tail. I believe it is the finest in the world!”
“That is a quite a statement.”
“Well, it is certainly better than your tail! That ugly little stub! Ha ha! At least it matches your pointed, stunted ears! Ha ha!”
With that, Panther dashed off to the pond.
“That stupid lynx,” he mumbled. “Not only is he so unsightly, he’s quite a pest. Go for a swim indeed!”
After a long drink and a little breakfast, Panther looked into the still water.
“Yes, I am handsome. Those great paws, magnificent head, and ahh... my majestic tale. What a tail indeed!”
Panther primped himself and pranced about the water for a little while longer, but then decided that he needed a little nap.
“After all,” he yawned, “I awoke quite early this morning.”
He found a deliciously sunny spot on a soft, moss-covered tree that had fallen across the pond. He curled himself up, dangling his tail off the edge of the log, and was soon fast asleep.
Panther was abruptly wakened by a sudden, painful jerk of his tail. To his horror, he was wrenched off the tree and slapped the water with a splash. As he was sinking down through the deep water, he frantically tried to swim back to the surface. Despite all his strength, he could not ascend, and only then did he realize what was happening. An alligator was attempting to drown and devour him. Searing pains shot through his tail as the great reptile’s teeth tore through his flesh.
Just as Panther was despairing that the end was near, he heard a splash, wild struggling, and then that hideous scream which had frightened him earlier this morning. He burst out of the water, and then a tremendous bellow rang from the alligator’s throat and through the forest. Lynx was on it’s back, slashing and biting it as if he were a demon.
The massive lizard flung the cat off his scaly back, and Lynx flew with a crash into the undergrowth on the shoreline. Panther scrambled out of the water and raced to where Lynx was lying.
“Oh Lynx! You saved my life! Never before was I so glad to hear your scream!”
“I saved your life,” Lynx said, wiping off slime and mud from his fur, “but unfortunately, not your tail.”
Panther turned and looked at where his tail had once been.
“Oh, well. A new friend and my life rescued is better than any tail! But I do think climbing a tree sounds more enjoyable than swimming - what do you say?”
As they trotted off together into the forest, Panther peered over his shoulder at the two short tails wobbling behind them.
“Perhaps stubby tails really aren't so bad after all.”
