The King of the Jungle

    Deep in the jungle roamed a very proud lion who was very good at almost everything he did. The lion knew of his great talents and was anything but humble. He would constantly boast around the jungle, happily taking on any challenge from the other creatures. Many were afraid of the lion, for they did not want to be eaten by the huge beast. Others were brave enough to challenge him, but always lost in the end. He defeated the monkey in a climb to the highest tree, the cheetah in a foot race (impossible), and even managed to beat the tiger in a cat napping contest. Each win over these creatures made the lion even more proud and he became a showoff. His ego grew, along with his eagerness to criticize the other creatures for their inability to win. This went on in the jungle for years until one morning he came upon a water buffalo minding his business by the local river. The lion immediately challenged the water buffalo to a swimming race to the other side. All of the jungle creatures gathered around to watch the race. The water buffalo glided through the water without effort while the lion struggled and clawed through to the middle of the river. Unable to swim and completely out of energy, the lion gasped for help from his friends in the jungle. None of them moved to help as the lion fell to the bottom of the river and drowned in the darkness.

Moral: Be humble. Don't let your ego get the best of you. Don't be a sore winner. Don't trust jungle creatures that will let your drown in a river.