Once, in the marshlands of Almost There, lived a Toad named Pibble. Pibble was not the brightest toad in the swamp, but he was cheerful and gullible in equal measure, which made him endearing to some and an easy target for others.
One day, a cunning Stork approached Pibble while he sunbathed on a lily pad. “Pibble, my good friend,” the Stork said, feigning warmth, “did you know there’s an invisible bridge that spans the Great River?”
Pibble’s eyes widened. “An invisible bridge? That sounds impossible!”
“Oh, but it’s true!” said the Stork, puffing his feathers. “I cross it every day. It’s much faster than swimming. Why don’t you give it a try?”
Now, most toads would hesitate. But Pibble, ever trusting, hopped up with determination. “Thank you, Stork! I shall use the bridge to visit my cousin on the other side!”
The Stork watched as Pibble made his way to the riverbank, grinning mischievously. Pibble took a deep breath and leapt with all his might… only to plop straight into the river below.
“Stork!” Pibble croaked, splashing about. “The bridge isn’t here!”
The Stork chuckled. “Of course it isn’t, Pibble. Invisible bridges don’t exist.”
Pibble swam to the shore, dripping and annoyed. “Why would you lie about such a thing?”
The Stork smirked. “Because, dear Pibble, it was amusing.”
But before the Stork could fly off, Pibble smiled slyly. “You know,” he said, “I’ve heard there’s a patch of sky that grants eternal flight to any bird who soars through it.”
“Eternal flight?” the Stork asked, intrigued. “Where?”
“Oh, just above the clouds,” said Pibble, gesturing vaguely. “You have to flap as hard as you can to reach it.”
The Stork, driven by curiosity and a pinch of greed, soared high into the sky, flapping furiously. Hours passed, but he found nothing. When he returned to the swamp, Pibble was back on his lily pad, chuckling.
“Did you find it, Stork?” Pibble asked innocently.
The Stork scowled. “No, of course not! That was a lie, wasn’t it?”
“Perhaps,” Pibble said with a grin. “But wasn’t it amusing?”
The Moral (Maybe): Sometimes, the best way to deal with nonsense is to serve it right back. Or maybe bridges are overrated. Who’s to say?