The Elephant and the Frog

An Elephant was walking through the forest, proud of his great size and strength. He stepped wherever he pleased, crushing smaller creatures under his mighty feet without a care. A family of Frogs lived near the path, and they cried out, "Oh, great Elephant, please watch where you are walking! You are crushing our homes and our children!" The Elephant laughed. "You tiny things," he trumpeted, "why should I, the great Elephant, care about you?" The father Frog replied, "Because even the small can be mighty." The Elephant scoffed and walked on, showing no mercy. The next day, as the Elephant slept, the father Frog hopped up his trunk and went deep inside his ear. He began to jump and kick and make a great noise. The Elephant woke with a roar. The pain and the buzzing in his head were unbearable. He shook his head, he thrashed about, he rolled on the ground, but he could not get the Frog out. "Please, stop!" cried the Elephant, "I am in agony! Who are you and what do you want?" The Frog replied from within his ear, "I am the one you called tiny and worthless. I will not stop until you promise to respect all creatures, big and small." The Elephant, humbled and in great pain, promised he would. The Frog hopped out, and the Elephant, from that day on, always watched his step and treated the smallest creatures of the forest with respect.