The Mole spends a lifetime in darkness, it dwells underground where people only go when they die. But the mole eats well, and so all is well - in fact, most of the mole's wake hours are spent searching for food, probing the dark, damp corridors of the underground.
It was on one of its numerous journeys through the dark that the mole came upon three worms whose delicious scent called for immediate attention. The mole did open its mouth, ready to devour the tasty worms, when suddenly they spoke, hastily and with much despair, for they knew their lives were at stake: 'Do not eat us, for we are no common worms - nay - we are literary worms, worms of the word!'
The mole paused to listen as the three worms aligned themselves, each readying a speech addressing the issue at hand, explaining why this particular worm should indeed not be eaten but instead be spared.
The first worm spoke thus: 'I should not be eaten, for I write fantastic tales that take you to places hidden within your head, I am the worm to open your mind's eye and present to you worlds you could never yourself have dreamed of - I am the guide to your imagination!'
The second worm spoke thus: 'I should not be eaten, for I write the truth and nothing but the truth in all its agonizing splendor and despair, I am the worm to reveal to you the world as it really is, as you have never dared yourself to accept it!
The third worm spoke thus: 'I should not be eaten, for I write riddles, mysteries for you to unravel, I am the worm to challenge your mind, for I never spell anything out, all my treasures are well-hidden and so the gold shines much brighter when finally uncovered!
The mole, however, spoke thus: 'We moles are blind and we are slaves to taste!'
And so the mole ate the three worms and hardly stopped to think that despite their numerous words, they all tasted like worm.
Copyright: Ras Bolding 2004