The Guairao and the Little Toad

The Guairao and the Little Toad

At the edge of a Chilean marsh, where water gleamed among the reeds, lived a little toad. By day he warmed himself on the damp bank, and in the evenings he listened to the rustle of birds’ wings above the water.

The little toad knew his marsh well. He knew where the mud was soft, where a flat stone lay beneath the surface, and where there was a narrow passage between the reeds that no large bird could enter.

One morning, a guairao, a long-legged marsh bird, flew over the stream. He circled low above the water, searching carefully for breakfast.

Suddenly, the guairao noticed the little toad.

“Here is someone I have not seen today!” he cried, and swooped toward the bank.

The toad looked up. The great beak was coming so fast that there was no time for long thoughts.

Plop!

The toad jumped straight into the water.

A splash, and only rings remained on the surface.

The guairao landed beside the stream and peered down in surprise.

“What an odd creature,” he muttered. “It saw me and went straight into the water. Perhaps it decided that getting wet was better than meeting my beak.”

He walked up and down the bank and looked between the grasses, but the little toad was nowhere to be seen.

Meanwhile, the toad did not panic at all. He dived beneath the water, swam a few short strokes, and hid behind a flat stone. It was quiet and cool there.

A little fish swam by.

“Why are you in such a hurry?” she asked.

“There is a guairao above,” said the toad. “He thinks the water is dangerous for me.”

The fish made a tiny bubble, as if she were laughing.

“How strange. Water is my home.”

“And it is a good hiding place for me,” said the toad. “Not everyone knows that others can do things they cannot do themselves.”

On the bank, the guairao waited a little longer.

“It is gone and gone,” he sighed. “I shall fly somewhere else to find breakfast.”

He spread his wings, rose over the reeds, and vanished around the bend in the stream.

The little toad did not climb out at once. He waited until the bird’s shadow had completely left the water. Then he swam to the other bank and quietly climbed onto a warm stone.

“Croak,” he said with satisfaction. “Not everyone who dives into water sinks. And not everyone who flies high knows all the secrets of the marsh.”

The fish poked her nose above the surface.

“And what will you do now?”

“The same as always,” said the toad. “Only today I shall sit a little closer to the reeds.”

And he settled where the sun shone through the green stems in small golden patches.

The guairao never did discover where his quick little acquaintance had gone.

So this short Chilean tale reminds us that when danger is near, the biggest or loudest creature does not always win. Sometimes it is enough to know your own world well and make one right jump at the right moment.

May this story leave a little light in your heart ✨