The Bat and the Weasels

At dusk, when the light in the forest was growing dim, a bat flew out from its hollow tree. Its wings moved like a little dark cloak among the branches. Whether from a gust of wind or from careless flight, it struck a low bough and fell to the ground. There a weasel seized it at once.

“I have you now,” said the weasel, showing his teeth. “I am the enemy of all birds.” The bat was frightened, but his mind worked quickly. Folding his wings close, he said, “Look at me carefully. I am no bird. I have no feathers, nor do I sing in the daytime. I am much more like a mouse.” Now this weasel hated birds by nature, but he had no quarrel just then with mice. So he let the bat go.

A little while afterward the bat again fell to the ground, and another weasel caught him. This one cried, “I detest mice, and you shall not escape me.” The bat remembered the first danger, but he also understood that this danger was of another kind. Spreading his thin wings, he answered, “How can I be a mouse? See, I have wings and fly through the air. I am a bat, not a mouse.”

The second weasel looked closely and, thinking the creature unlike an ordinary mouse, released him. The bat flew back to his hollow tree with a beating heart. He had not won by strength, but by observing what mattered to each captor.

The tale teaches that circumstances may change, and the wise creature notices the change before speaking. To use one’s true features wisely is sometimes the narrow path between danger and escape.