The Tree

[Paradox Revealed]

This is something I did in English class. It's a trickster tale based on the Chinese zodiac, and the story that zodiac originated from.
-.-.-
Snake slithered up his usual tree, the smell of the fruits quickly lulling him to sleep for his afternoon nap. It was short-lived however, when the sounds of someone ripping the skin of one fruit awakened him.
Snake looked up to the higher levels of the tree, where Monkey reclined his fur soaked with fruit juice. The grass below his was littered with skins. Snake quietly hissed, using his tail to grab Monkey by the leg before pulling him down.
“Whoa!”
Monkey’s weight caused Snake to fall as well landing on several of the peels.
Monkey tilted his head looking at Snake. “Hello Snake.” He greeted in his usual joyful demeanor.
“Hello Monkey,” hissed Snake in reply. He watched Monkey sit up peeling a fruit skin from his back before asking, “What are you doing in my tree?”
“It’s not your tree,” Monkey insisted, “It’s everyone’s; Dragon said so.”
-.-.-
After the race, the one in which the Jade Emperor had the animals in for the zodiac, the Emperor ordered that the more carnivorous animals not eat the animals that were their natural prey. Snake had finally found the perfect fruit to eat with Dragon’s help, who brought it from India and grew it into a full grown tree in a single day. However everyone else liked the fruit as well, and Dragon refused to keep the fruit to just Snake.
Snake allowed the five animals (Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit and Dragon) to eat from the tree, but often made everyone else (Horse, Ram, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig answer a riddle or two, or three (depending on his mood) for a fruit.
-.-.-
“How about this,” Snake began again, “ We’ll have three tests to determine whether or not you can eat from this tree.”
“But Dragon--”
“Dragon orders it: anyone who is below my year must be tested.” Snake smiled remembering that Monkey took the ninth year in the zodiac.
Monkey scratched his chin with a foot, “What kind of tests?”
“These will test your cunning,” Snake continued, “They’ll be in which one of us does something, and the other must try to do the same in a way that doesn’t copy the first.”
Monkey nodded, understanding. He stood up and dusted his yellow pants asking what the first test was.
Snake told him that the first test was to get into the tree itself. He slithered up quickly smirking, “Your turn.”
Monkey walked to the tree, about to climb, but Snake stopped him.
“It’s similar to slithering up.”
Monkey sat back on the ground, thinking hard. Finally he rose up taking his bamboo staff. He climbed up the staff, which was about 16 feet tall, and jumped up into the leaves.
Snake nodded, but secretly had hoped Monkey would fail. He suddenly remembered the primate couldn’t swim.
The two made it to the river a few minutes later. Snake stated that the next test was to cross the river. He crossed using the nearby bridge smiling. The only other way to cross, he thought, was to swim.
Monkey looked at his staff, wondering how deep the river was. He stuck it in, realizing it was a little more than halfway in, which was almost twice his height. Monkey instead jumped from his side of the river to the upper end of the staff, balancing himself before jumping to the other.
Snake hissed in anger. He had one last test, and he knew the perfect place. He watched Monkey try to pull his staff from the river, unable to; it wouldn’t matter, Snake thought, the staff wouldn’t help him this time.
“Onto the last test!”
-.-.-
Monkey followed Snake to the canyon, where there was a gondola lift. Snake traveled across the canyon via the lift, watching to see how Monkey would get across.
Monkey looked down at the canyon; it was nearly bottomless and both ends were too far apart to jump across. Even with the his staff, Monkey couldn’t easily cross.
“Monkey!”
Monkey looked back to see who called him, Dragon flying down beside him. In one claw was Monkey’s staff.
“You left this in the river,” Dragon explained, “I saw it as I flew over.”
“Dragon!” Monkey greeted, thanking him, “Could you help me with something?”
Dragon agreed, and Monkey explained what had happened between he and Snake. Dragon allowed Monkey to climb onto him, flying the primate to the other side of the canyon.
“That’s not fair!” Snake hissed as the pair landed, “You asked Dragon to help you!”
“You didn’t say I couldn’t,” Monkey replied, “You said ‘one of us does something, and the other must try to do the same in a way that doesn’t copy the first’.”
“It doesn’t really matter,” Dragon began, “Because of your absence there’s no longer any fruit in the tree; all the other animals have taken them.”
Snake hissed. He had forgotten that fact. He wanted Monkey to repay for eating his fruit, only for Snake not to have any for himself.
-.-.-
The sun sank as Dragon flew the pair back to the tree. For his selfishness, Dragon chose not to let the tree grow the fruit as quickly as the first time. Snake tried to sleep, but his hunger kept him up until Monkey arrived with a banana. Snake hesitated, but after a reminder from Monkey that the fruit wouldn’t be ripened for six months, he ate it. Monkey had one of his own, and the pair talked themselves to sleep.
When both woke up, the tree was full of ripened fruit, a gift from Dragon, who watched the pair as they slept. Snake agreed not to forbid anyone from eating from the tree as long as they asked permission first. After all, the tree was his home.