The Squid Who Planted Seaweed
By MeatLoaf the Happy Donkey
[MeatLoaf's Note:
Allegory: The representation of abstract ideas or principles by characters, figures, or events in narrative, dramatic, or pictorial form.
Ya get it???]
Many, many fathoms beneath the sea, there lived a giant squid named Ted who, with his friends and family, lived on a vast underwater prairie of fertile land. For as long as anyone can remember, they had lived there and had pretty much the same way of life. They treasured their traditions and technology didn't really interest them, so they just went about their lives oblivious to the rest of the world.
Meanwhile…
Two guys were sitting inside a giant submarine. One of them, the captain of the vessel, was looking out the window (yes! They do have windows on submarines!……?), while the other sat on a sofa and his name was The Carl. They had been searching for a place to start an underwater farm of seaweed. Seaweed was very popular at the time and it went well with sushi.
"Carl," said the Captain. "This fertile land right here is ideal for farming seaweed! Does anyone live here?"
"Nobody I know of." Answered the Carl.
"Wonderful!" exclaimed the Captain. "Let's go and start planting!"
So The Captain, The Carl, and some other people got into their diving suits and began planting seaweed all over the underwater prairie. Then Ted came along, and since he was quite naïve, decided to ask the divers what they were doing.
"We are planting seaweed on this prairie so we can harvest it eat It." Said the Captain. "Is that a problem?"
"Well," said Ted, who had a very passive aggressive nature. "No, not really."
But The Captain sensed that there was something wrong, and decided to use it to his advantage.
"I am planning to sell some of this seaweed once it ripens," said the Captain. "I will give you part of the profits, if you help me plant some."
The squid agreed and soon the entire prairie was covered in seaweed. Thinking his job was finished, Ted went back to his home at the edge of the prairie. But then The Captain asked him to take care of the seaweed while it grew. The Squid agreed and soon the seaweed was all grown. Once again he thought his job was finished but the Captain asked him to harvest the seaweed, and he told Ted that he would bring him the money after he did that. The squid agreed and soon he was holding a brand new quarter in his tentacle. With his new found wealth he took a vacation to a nearby mud hole. There he saw squids like himself harvesting toothpicks to make elevator buttons, and they made hundreds of dollars each day! He then looked at the quarter he held and resolved to bring toothpicks to his prairie and his family.
He told the Captain about the toothpicks, but he insisted that seaweed was better and told Ted never to mention the toothpicks again. This mad Ted very mad so he rallied up his friends and family and The Big Unruly Mob attacked the Captain's submarine and sent it floating away. Since the Captain and The Carl were gone, Ted became the leader of the farm, but he didn't really know what to do. The Captain had given him a very detailed instruction manual for the farm, but when he left, he took the manual with him and so Ted was very much lost. One day the seaweed prices suddenly fell very low and the farms expenses exceeded the income so the other squids chased him away from the farm. But the other squids didn't know how to farm either, so they went looking for Ted, but he was nowhere to be found. All that was left was a memory and a vast prairie of seaweed.
THE END
By MeatLoaf the Happy Donkey
[MeatLoaf's Note:
Allegory: The representation of abstract ideas or principles by characters, figures, or events in narrative, dramatic, or pictorial form.
Ya get it???]
Many, many fathoms beneath the sea, there lived a giant squid named Ted who, with his friends and family, lived on a vast underwater prairie of fertile land. For as long as anyone can remember, they had lived there and had pretty much the same way of life. They treasured their traditions and technology didn't really interest them, so they just went about their lives oblivious to the rest of the world.
Meanwhile…
Two guys were sitting inside a giant submarine. One of them, the captain of the vessel, was looking out the window (yes! They do have windows on submarines!……?), while the other sat on a sofa and his name was The Carl. They had been searching for a place to start an underwater farm of seaweed. Seaweed was very popular at the time and it went well with sushi.
"Carl," said the Captain. "This fertile land right here is ideal for farming seaweed! Does anyone live here?"
"Nobody I know of." Answered the Carl.
"Wonderful!" exclaimed the Captain. "Let's go and start planting!"
So The Captain, The Carl, and some other people got into their diving suits and began planting seaweed all over the underwater prairie. Then Ted came along, and since he was quite naïve, decided to ask the divers what they were doing.
"We are planting seaweed on this prairie so we can harvest it eat It." Said the Captain. "Is that a problem?"
"Well," said Ted, who had a very passive aggressive nature. "No, not really."
But The Captain sensed that there was something wrong, and decided to use it to his advantage.
"I am planning to sell some of this seaweed once it ripens," said the Captain. "I will give you part of the profits, if you help me plant some."
The squid agreed and soon the entire prairie was covered in seaweed. Thinking his job was finished, Ted went back to his home at the edge of the prairie. But then The Captain asked him to take care of the seaweed while it grew. The Squid agreed and soon the seaweed was all grown. Once again he thought his job was finished but the Captain asked him to harvest the seaweed, and he told Ted that he would bring him the money after he did that. The squid agreed and soon he was holding a brand new quarter in his tentacle. With his new found wealth he took a vacation to a nearby mud hole. There he saw squids like himself harvesting toothpicks to make elevator buttons, and they made hundreds of dollars each day! He then looked at the quarter he held and resolved to bring toothpicks to his prairie and his family.
He told the Captain about the toothpicks, but he insisted that seaweed was better and told Ted never to mention the toothpicks again. This mad Ted very mad so he rallied up his friends and family and The Big Unruly Mob attacked the Captain's submarine and sent it floating away. Since the Captain and The Carl were gone, Ted became the leader of the farm, but he didn't really know what to do. The Captain had given him a very detailed instruction manual for the farm, but when he left, he took the manual with him and so Ted was very much lost. One day the seaweed prices suddenly fell very low and the farms expenses exceeded the income so the other squids chased him away from the farm. But the other squids didn't know how to farm either, so they went looking for Ted, but he was nowhere to be found. All that was left was a memory and a vast prairie of seaweed.
THE END