Library:Lost in the Dark

This fable by tekkamansoul is featured in the anthology.

Lost in the Dark
by tekkamansoul

Bat, Fox and Rat were chosen to leave the protection of the village to forage for food. Before they left, they were each given a torch from the village Elder.

“Take these, and remember,” Elder warned them with a stern wag of his finger at Bat, “Even against all odds, if you stick together and be truthful, loving and courageous, you will always find your way home safely.”

The three friends thanked the Elder and left.

After a successful hour, the three were in good spirits. They foraged along the great underground river as Fox knew the best mushrooms grew there.

Bat, who always was a little too proud for his own good, asked in a huff, "Who does that Elder think he is, anyway? He treats us like children."

"He looks out for us,” said Fox.

"He only wants us to be safe," said Rat. "He's like a father to everyone."

"Well, I can't stand it, and I hate him," said Bat. Bat angrily flapped his wings and dropped his torch into the river nearby.

"See what you did?" chided Rat. "Now it's gotten darker."

The three continued on. After another hour, they had gathered a bit more food. It was almost lunchtime, though, and Fox was getting hungry.

"Can't I have one mushroom?" he implored his friends. “Just a small one.”

"No," said Bat, "we need to save everything for the village."

"No," said Rat, "we should wait and eat with everyone else."

Fox knew his two friends were right, but his stomach disagreed. When they weren't looking, he scarfed down an entire napkin full of mushrooms in one gulp. It proved too much for him, and he began to choke. He ran to the river for water, and his torch fell in.

"What happened?" asked his friends, rushing over.

"A river monster stole a napkin of mushrooms," Fox lied. "I ran over to get them back, but I was too slow."

"Now it's even darker," said Rat, and the three huddled around the remaining torch's light.

After a third hour, they had gathered barely any more food. It was getting late and it was time to head back. Since Rat had the last torch, Fox and Bat followed him, carrying the mushrooms.

“I'm too scared,” said Rat. “Can somebody else go first?”

“I can't,” replied Fox, “I'm carrying too many mushrooms to carry the torch.”

“Just keep going,” replied Bat, “I can't always be first.”

Rat started to complain, but a loud sound echoed through the caves, startling him and causing him to drop his torch in the river.

“I wish I hadn't dropped my torch,” the three bemoaned. They were shrouded in the deep darkness of the caverns and were never seen again.

The moral of this story is: Hatred, cowardice, and dishonesty can lead you astray.