Dear Leader:
Congratulations you upon your recent supression of rebel forces in the interior! For your vigilance and courage, schoolchildren will hail your name twice as many times this week. I say this as a school teacher, making a promise.

Please do not be angered by my writing you in such an offhanded fashion. I do hope you will see me as nothing but a faithful citizen, wishing to assert his loyalty. I give this to you in the form of a small book, submitted for your approval. They are fables, of whose theme is “proper conduct.” Where I have been able, I have made use of animal characters, in order to make the fables more enticing to the minds of children and the working class.

With deference and servitude,
Nick Jones

The Peacock and the Rooster
The peacock was very proud of his colorful plumage and enjoyed gazing at his own reflection. The rooster on the other hand did not pay much mind to such vanities and focused his attention on working to complete a bridge. Several times he asked the peacock to help him lay masonry but the peacock only laughed. When the bridge was completed, the rooster was applauded for his contribution to the project and the peacock was ignored. The peacock, suddenly feeling a deep emptiness inside him, wished he had accomplished more in his life. He committed suicide by jumping off the new bridge.

The Dog and the Mystic’s Dog
There once was a man who allowed his dog to walk without a leash. One day at the park, the dog was running far ahead of his master and he met the dog of a religious mystic, also not on a leash. The two animals wrestled and chased each other until their masters came close enough to meet. The man instantly recognized the mystic as a known threat to the state and called his dog to come to his side, but it was too late: the dog had already been brainwashed.

The Hunter and the Wolf.
A hunter caught a wolf in a trap, and was about to kill him when the wolf pleaded for mercy. When this did not work, he pleaded to reason instead. “I am but a pup,” said the wolf, “half starved and with barely an ounce of meat on my bones. It would do you no good to eat me now. Why not take me home and feed me. In a few months, when I am healthier I will make a nice meal.” “I am not killing you to eat you,” replied the hunter. “I am killing you to make sure you don’t hurt the people of my country.” And with that, he put a bullet into the wolf’s head. This action was observed by a local official and the hunter was commended pubically.

The Camel’s Reputation
The first time people saw a camel, they ran away in fear. Later, after realizing how docile a creature it was, they harnessed it and made it carry heavy loads.

The Lion and the Mouse
A lion who was sleeping under a tree was awakened by a mouse who ran over his nose. The quick lion instantly pinned the mouse under his paw and was about to kill it when the mouse pleaded in a small voice for mercy. The mouse claimed it was beneath the lion’s dignity to kill a creature so small as he, and cited several passages from the Bible which favored the weak. The lion, besought by conflicting emotions, decided to let the mouse go. Not long afterwards, the lion was caught by hunters and tied down with thick ropes. He howled in agony at the fate which had befallen him, and the mouse heard him. The mouse could easily have chewed through the ropes, but instead he remained silently watching the lion from the darkness, his heart callous and full of spite.

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