When he reached the kitchen, Zecharias could tell something was wrong. His Father was already up but wasn't smiling. When he spotted Zecharias, his Father said, "Come here son. I've got some bad news for you." Obediently, Zecharias went to his Father's side. "I know how much you've been looking forward to this trip, but I need to go away for a while. How 'bout if we schedule the fishing trip for three weeks from today, okay?" Zecharias nodded his head and walked away.
"It's not fair," Zecharias muttered to himself as he started up the stairs to his bedroom.
Once Zecharias was in his room, he dressed slowly; wondering what he was going to do next. Then he exclaimed, "I know! I'll take a walk! Yea. That's what I'll do! I'll go to the back part of our land! I'll leave right now, before Mom gets up!" He was very excited about the plan.
On the way out, Zecharias grabbed some food, just in case he got hungry. Then he sped through the side door and half-walked, half-ran up the path that led to the back woods.
As Zecharias neared the woods, he saw a big crow and said, "Good morning bird. Isn't it a nice day!"
When Zecharias had taken about ten steps into the woods, he spied a big ole' grasshopper and was about to stomp on it, when the insect cried out, "Don't stomp on me. I am a creature of God, just like you!" Not knowing what to do, he kept on walking.
Zecharias had only gone a short distance, when He happened upon a dragonfly sitting on a leaf. He was about to squash it but the dragonfly cried out, "Don't squash me. I am a creature of God, just like you!" By this time Zecharias was beginning to feel a bit uneasy but kept going.
Zecharias walked a great stretch and had forgotten all about the grasshopper and the dragonfly. Then He rounded a bend, and there, smack dab in the middle of the path, was the ugliest snake he had ever seen. Instinctively, Zecharias picked up a large rock and was about to drop it on the snake, when the ugly snake cried out, "Don't drop that rock on me. I am a creature of God, just like you!"
Well, Zecharias didn't know what to do. So he sat right down and began to cry.
All of a sudden, a white Eagle appeared before his eyes. This Eagle was the whitest, brightest creature Zecharias had ever seen, seemingly as bright as the sun.
The white Eagle asked Zecharias why he was crying. So Zecharias told it about the grasshopper, the dragonfly and the ugly snake.
The Eagle listened to Zecharias' tale and when he had finished, the Eagle said to him, "There's no reason for you to cry. The grasshopper, dragonfly and ugly snake were only trying to tell you that all God's creatures have a unique purpose and even if you don't like them, they still have the right to live."
As soon as the white Eagle had spoken, it vanished. Zecharias looked all around but could not find the magnificent bird anywhere; it had simply disappeared.
Zecharias ran all the way home. When he got to his bedroom, he felt someone shaking him. So he opened his eyes and his mother said, "Hurry up and get dressed. You don't want your father to go fishing without you, do you?"
The End