Once upon a time in the grand green expanse of the forest, a small squirrel named Nibbles found himself with an unlikely job: royal assistant to the King of the Forest—the mighty lion. Now, Nibbles wasn’t particularly strong or fierce, but he was fast, smart, and most importantly, excellent at remembering where things were buried.
He fetched coconuts for the parrots, carried notes to the owls, scheduled meetings between the deer and the wolves (never during mealtimes), and even helped untangle the lion’s mane when it got caught in thorn bushes—which was more often than His Majesty liked to admit.
The lion was impressed. “You, little squirrel,” he roared one day after Nibbles perfectly arranged the Spring Leaf Banquet seating chart, “are a treasure. I shall reward you with a cartload of nuts!”
Nibbles’ eyes widened. “A cartload?”
“Yes,” the lion said dramatically, “a full cart, heaping with the finest acorns, chestnuts, and cashews!”
“Cashews?!” Nibbles fainted from joy on the spot.
Days turned into weeks, and though Nibbles continued working like a furry whirlwind, the promised cartload never arrived. Finally, one morning, Nibbles gathered his courage and squeaked, “Um, Your Majesty, about the cartload of nuts you promised…?”
The lion blinked. “Cartload? Oh yes. I meant that metaphorically, of course. Like ‘a ton of thanks.’ You know, figure of speech.”
“Figure of what?” Nibbles tilted his head. “But… I told all my cousins. They’re waiting at my tree with tiny spoons.”
The lion laughed. “Oh, Nibbles, you silly rodent. What would you even do with a whole cartload of nuts?”
Nibbles replied solemnly, “Retire.”
Realizing he may have accidentally started a squirrel revolution, the lion tried to fix things. “All right, all right. I’ll have my staff prepare a small sack of deluxe trail mix.”
But by then, word had spread. The squirrels of the forest, led by Nibbles in a tiny crown made of twigs, went on a mild protest. (It was hard to take seriously, since they kept getting distracted by shiny pebbles.)
Eventually, to restore peace and quiet (and avoid being pelted with pinecones), the lion delivered a cart—yes, a real cart—filled with nuts. Nibbles stood proudly on top as it rolled through the forest, throwing acorns to the cheering crowd.
The lion grumbled, “I need to stop making promises when I’m hungry.”
Moral of the story: Be careful what you promise small animals with good memories. Especially if they organize the royal calendar.
