At the beginning of time, planet Earth was a true paradise. The birds, the terrestrial animals and those of the sea, lived carefree and happy. Luckily, the world was very wide and they could afford to play and build their homes wherever they wanted. There was also abundant food that guaranteed the feeding of the young and the survival of the different species. As for the coexistence, it was fantastic: as there was plenty of space and food for everyone, no one complained and everyone got along very well.
But one day, no one knows for what reason, they started arguing with each other and there was a tremendous fight. Fights broke out between lions and gazelles, monkeys and crows, marmots and polar bears … In the end, they all ended up facing each other and disrespecting each other. The altercations became of such caliber that they allowed to share the food, they avoided meeting in common places, and even, many stopped speaking to each other. It is said that there were even shoves and the occasional pulling of the hair! The situation became untenable.
Time passed and all the animals felt very uncomfortable and sad. Deep in their hearts, they thought it was not logical to live angry. For peace to reign again, they began to organize meetings where everyone, from the large elephants to the fragile little ants, were contributing ideas to solve the conflicts. Little by little, based on conversations, agreements and good manners, the disputes ended and finally harmony returned to Earth. The time had come for all the animals to reconcile and become friends again!
Well… Actually, not everyone made an effort to settle the differences, because in Australia, a very haughty and proud animal, it was still on the warpath. It was an emu, an ostrich-like bird, which was considered far superior to the others. He hardly ever smiled or used to talk to anyone, but one day he came across a quiet koala and took her with him. He stood next to her and began to tell him what he thought.
– It seems that now all the animals are getting along again, but I think it is necessary for someone to take the reins so that there are no problems again. There have to be leaders who rule over the rest of the fauna and you know what? … I think it is the birds who should wield that power!
The koala opened his eyes and without much interest, asked him:
– Oh yeah? … And why is that?
The emu strutted in front of him, believing himself more than anyone.
– In my opinion, birds are fast, intelligent, expert hunters and also, we know how to fly. Who can overcome that?
The koala, which was a rather slow being with few reflexes, was slow to answer.
– As for you are very complete, you are right, but I think …
The emu left the poor koala with the word in his mouth and continued with his spiel.
– Hush, hush, that’s not all! You may have noticed that, of all the birds, the emus are the largest, so our superiority is very clear over the eagles, which are always boasting that they are the queens. The command corresponds to us! We emus must rule the world!
The koala has never seen such a vain and impertinent animal. He was about to stop his feet when, suddenly, something unusual happened before his eyes: the emu was so full of pride that it began to inflate uncontrollably until it became a huge and clumsy bird that did not know how to handle its own body. In fact, he tried to fly with a little run, lifting his legs and tensing his neck, but it was impossible. He had become so big and heavy that his wings could not lift him an inch off the ground! At a stroke, all his agility disappeared and his appearance was that of a disproportionate animal that moved like a dizzy duck.
Hundreds of meters around he could be heard crying and screaming, appalled by his new appearance, but it was useless: he never returned to his original size. The scared koala climbed up a eucalyptus tree and decided never to move from there again.
Since then, as this legend tells, emus dream of flying but they always fail in the attempt; As for the koalas, they have adapted to the quiet life in the treetops, preferring to observe the emus from above so that they do not give them the tabarra.
