Handsome and Theodore

A frog-king named Theodore, tormented by his own relatives in the well where he lived, resolved on a plan of revenge: he would invite a black snake named Handsome into the well to destroy them all, reasoning that a dangerous enemy could be used to settle a score no one else would touch.

The snake was wary at first -- a frog offering friendship to a snake made no natural sense -- but Theodore's promise of a safe hiding place and an effortless meal, together with his own old age and dwindling strength, eventually won him over. Theodore led him into the well and pointed out which relatives to eat, believing he could control exactly how far the revenge would go.

The snake ate every relative Theodore pointed to, then every friend besides -- and when the well was finally empty of victims, he calmly informed Theodore that he had no way to leave: his old den was surely occupied by now, and this well would be his home from here on, fed by one frog a day, even from Theodore's own family, or he would eat everyone at once.

Theodore realized too late that he had never actually controlled the danger he invited in -- he had only delayed it, one relative at a time, until there was no one left to sacrifice but himself.

When at last only Theodore remained, the snake asked for his final meal. Theodore, given one chance to leave and search for more frogs elsewhere, simply did not return -- choosing exile over becoming his own enemy's last meal, a bitter end to a plan that had seemed clever at the start.