A peace-loving pond flourished with happy crocodiles. All the classes of the crocodile worked with dignity and earned their bread. Each of them depended on the other, which they acknowledged and embraced. They had differences, which they settled on the pond’s banks every Sunday morning. And every Sunday evening, they gathered around the apple tree to relish some juicy apples that had fallen off the tree on the far bank alongside the green hillock, less accessible by outsiders. Apples were a luxury for the lower classes but still affordable occasionally. There was food, work, leisure, and harmony in the pond.
An ill-minded group of jealous crocodiles robbed the apples for themselves, cheating others of their shares. Though short of fruits on days, the others didn’t worry much, as it was still a luxury and was okay to be deprived of. On a cloudy Sunday night, A monstrous red-eyed crocodile was caught red-handed lobbying some apples to the nest to enjoy after hours on Monday. He was banished from the pond, and the tree was guarded from then on.
A group of monkeys had swung through tree branches of the hillock and stayed around the apple tree. They eyed the crocodiles without being noticed for several weeks. The monkeys surprised the Sunday evening gathering with their acrobatic skills. The crocodiles were awed, and their big jaws dropped. The monkeys gave away free exotic fruits at the end of their display and disappeared for days into the canopy, but they were still a talk at work, social gatherings, family, and leisure.
The monkeys appeared again on a Sunday evening gathering with another bag of exotic fruits and a plot to gain control of the pond and its endless richness, which the crocodiles couldn’t foresee, of course. After an exhibition of their acrobatics and the distribution of the freebies, they rooted for the commoner crocodiles and the pond, which became an anthem of the community in the coming days. The monkeys took charge and announced their service to the community — ‘We, the elite monkeys, would like to serve the commoner crocodiles and bring about prosperity, happiness, and progress. Give us a chance to serve the community. We would bring exotic fruits from the far land and make apples available to each one. There would be no need for hardship, and there will be equality among the commoners. We, a band of ministers, shall stand guard of the apple tree and the pond and manage your Sunday morning gathering, freeing all of you for more leisure and rest. Allow us to serve you, for it will be our duty.’ Just as the announcement ended without a break for the commoners to think, the drumroll started with more rooting and cheering. The commoners wagged their tails, danced, and rejoiced. The wise commoners could not raise their voices or object the announcement. The acrobatic show continued late into the night, and many commoners enjoyed unlimited exotic fruits.
It rained heavily the following morning, and the commoners couldn’t get to their daily routine. The monkeys brought apples and other exotic fruits to the crocodiles, and they were relieved to have chosen the monkeys to serve them. The commoners paddled around the pond happily, humming the anthem, being free of the worry of food for the day.
Days passed, and the minister monkeys guarded the apple tree, brought exotic fruits from the hillock’s deep canopies, and protected the commoners from the ambush of the banished monstrous red-eyed crocodile. The Sunday morning meetings were headed by the ministers to solve the differences. The wise commoners questioned the ministers often — ‘Why so much trouble to serve the commoners?’ which was always suppressed by an attitude of devotion and service.
The ministers lobbied the apples secretly to an inner land and sold them to a neighboring group of monkeys for precious gems and new stores. They built a lavish colony in the canopies with aerial hoops, trapezes, hammocks, and jacuzzis. The supply of apples declined eventually, and ministers often complained of less availability and high demand for exotic fruits.
The commoners’ state had deteriorated without their knowledge, but the ministers’ show on Sunday kept up their false hope. The commoners had almost forgotten their trade and had become enslaved for the freebies. On one of the clear sky Mondays, the commoners were left to starve. The ministers didn’t show up with the fruits. Some able and wise commoners tried to fetch some apples, but, to their shock, the tree had withered, and the pond was drying up from that end. The commoners were baffled by not having many options but to wait for the ministers to appear.
The following morning, to the commoners’ delight, the ministers showed up with large bags of exotic fruits. Before handing down the fruits, the ministers declared — ‘The free fruits are no freer, for they are in high demand in the far lands. We paid for these with the apples. We will need your skin to buy more fruits. We are doing our best to feed the community and we shall not stop serving until our blood goes dry.’ The rooting, cheering, and the anthem followed. The commoners peeled their skin in exchange for the fruits. They had no other option and had forgotten to earn their bread. Days passed, and the commoners paid with their skin and flesh. The minister monkeys made posh shoes and hats from the skin and ate meat for supper at their posh dwellings. The exotic fruits were left to rot in the canopies and the commoners in the pond.
Some commoners realized the freebies came with the price of their life, while others still paid with their skin and flesh. The wise and the wised-up decided to evade the guarded pond to a faraway pond. Searching for the new abode, they stumbled upon a group of minister wolves making promises of free warm woolen coats as a service to a herd of commoner sheep. No sheep questioned the source of the wool for the free woolen coats. The commoner crocodiles’ warnings were unheard of between the bleating commoner sheep celebrations.
The remaining commoner crocodiles continued to pay with their skin, flesh, and blood at the then-flourishing pond. The minister monkeys continued their oppression till the commoner community had nothing more to offer than their life. The wise and the wised-up commoner crocodiles unlearnt and relearnt life, living at their newfound secluded pond. At the same time, the minister monkeys discovered another pond that flourished with hard-working tortoises and fish. The acrobatic skills kept their senses entertained, a new anthem kept their mind diverted, and the tortoises and fishes were offered free custom handmade leather fins and free fermented meat as a service. The monstrous red-eyed crocodile vouched and admired the minister monkeys’ outstanding and selfless services at the then-flourishing commoner crocodile pond. The tortoises and fish rejoiced and rooted for their new ministers.
The story is inspired by the book ‘Animal Farm.’ I mend my commoner mind if a thought comes to relate it to the current atmosphere.
