sahna’resdul
Fable Seven
Almalexia and the Mudcrab
here was once a mudcrab who suffered much.
²He had a limp and a hacking cough. His shell was misshapen, causing him pain. He was weary at all times, and told everyone he was surely dying.
³He roamed the valley one day, complaining to any who would listen.
⁴The shalk created a brace from part of his shell and offered it to the mudcrab. “Here, mudcrab, try bracing your leg,” he advised.
⁵“No, no, no,” said the mudcrab, “I have tried that and it does not work.”
⁶“Mudcrab,” said the alit, “let me bite on your shell and crack it just a bit to relieve the pressure.”
⁷The mudcrab said, “You are trying to trick me, alit! You just want an easy snack!”
⁸Almalexia, who was roaming the land that day, heard these conversations and entered the valley, where she appeared as a humble guar.
⁹“Mudcrab,” she said, “take this draught I have made for your cough.”
¹⁰“Guar, you are not a healer. It is better to suffer than risk a poor remedy,” replied the mudcrab.
¹¹And Almalexia revealed herself to the creatures, who gasped in surprise.
¹²“Mudcrab,” she said, “all of these creatures have offered you help, but you refuse. You are in love with complaining, and you will never be healed.”
¹³And so Almalexia teaches us that you cannot aid the unwilling.