A clear, glassy pond at the edge of a village — and from the pond, a narrow stream ran all the way to the river. Three friends lived there: Plan-Ahead, Think-Fast, and Wait-and-See the puffer. Every morning, hide-and-seek — splish! splash! Who could touch the lily leaf first?
One evening two fishermen walked home along the bank. One leaned over the water — "Brother, look, look — what fat fish!" The other nodded. "Tomorrow at dawn we'll come with the net. We won't leave a single one." Under the lily leaves, the three friends quietly heard every word.
That night Plan-Ahead said, "You heard them! Come — let's swim down the stream to the river, before the net comes." Think-Fast flicked his tail. "What's the hurry? If trouble comes, my wits will save me." And Wait-and-See? He just laughed and laughed. "Leave the pond I was born in? Whatever will be, will be!"
Deep in the night, the moon's reflection trembled on the pond. At the mouth of the stream Plan-Ahead looked back once — this pond was where he was born, where he had always played. His heart grew heavy. Still, slowly, slowly, he swam on toward the river.
At first light — SPLASH! The net fell across the pond. The water churned! "Swim, brother, swim!" cried Think-Fast, darting away. Wait-and-See puffed himself round with fright — but the net was everywhere! The ropes drew closer… and closer… and both were caught. What now?
The moment the net rose, Think-Fast went perfectly still — not a twitch, not a blink, stiff as wood! The fisherman wrinkled his nose. "Ugh, this one's dead — rotten!" — and tossed him onto the grass, right at the water's edge. One… two… three! Think-Fast flipped — SPLASH! — straight back into the pond!
And Wait-and-See? He stayed puffed up inside the net, sure that somehow, something would simply work itself out. Nothing did. Into the basket went Wait-and-See, and the basket went up on a shoulder. With his two little eyes he took one last look at his beloved pond. Wait-and-See never came back.
When the monsoon came, Think-Fast too swam down the stream to the river — the pond didn't feel like home anymore. And there was Plan-Ahead! The two friends played again, but every evening they'd both go quiet — a game of three was now a game of two. Softly, Plan-Ahead would say, "The one who thinks ahead of trouble, brother — that's the one who's saved."
