In the heart of a lush forest stood a massive banyan tree. High among its branches lived a bat named Shadow. Shadow was a free spirit, but he had one major flaw: he was incredibly careless and never paid attention to where he was flying.
Hidden beneath the thick roots of that very tree was a hunter's snare. One evening, while racing through the twilight, Shadow failed to see the thin ropes and tumbled straight into the trap. Just as he struggled to free himself, a hungry weasel emerged from the bushes.
'Please, spare me!' Shadow cried out in terror. 'I am too small to satisfy your hunger. If you let me go, I promise I will be more careful and never bother your territory again!'
The weasel looked at the trembling bat. It was feeling quite hungry, but the bat's plea sounded reasonable. 'You are a strange little creature,' the weasel remarked. 'Fine, I shall let you go this once. But do not let me catch you again.'
Shadow soared into the sky, feeling incredibly lucky. However, instead of learning his lesson, he continued to fly recklessly. A few days later, returning to the same tree, he once again failed to notice the snare and fell right back into the same trap.
This time, the weasel was waiting. Shadow pleaded desperately, 'Please! I have learned my lesson! I will be so careful from now on! Just one more chance!'
The weasel shook its head coldly. 'Kindness is a gift, not a recurring service. I gave you a chance because you asked, but now my stomach is empty and my patience is gone. You wasted the first opportunity, and now you must face the consequence.'
With that, the weasel caught the bat. Shadow realized too late that a second chance is rarely granted to those who ignore the first.
Moral
Value the opportunities you are given, for they may not come a second time.
