The Dog and the Scorpion

 Once upon a time a dog was walking along the bank of a river, looking for a good place to swim across. As he entered the water, he heard a voice nearby. "Hey, can I ride on your back across the river? I need to get over there too."

The dog looked around until he found the source of the voice. It was a scorpion.

"Absolutely not," the dog replied. "If I let you onto my back, you'll sting me along the way and I'll drown."

"No I won't," the scorpion retorted. "Why would I do that? I would drown, too. That wouldn't make sense. Here, just help me across. Everything will be fine."

They talked for a few moments and eventually, against his better judgment, the dog was persuaded to allow the scorpion to climb into his back. They entered the river and quickly made their way across.

Then, just as the dog started to climb out of the water, the scorpion stung him.

Feeling the venom spread.through his body, the dog could only watch as the scorpion easily jumped to shore. "Why?" the dog cried. "Why would you do this? I helped you!"

The scorpion just shrugged. "You knew what I was when you let me climb on your back." And the dog sank beneath the water while the scorpion went on with his day.