An ageing heron, too slow to catch fish, told the pond creatures that he had overheard farmers planning to drain the lake. He offered to carry them one by one to a better pond — and ate each in a far field. When the crab's turn came, sensing the pile of bones, it strangled the heron before being eaten.
Deception can be systematised but not infinitely. Each transaction leaves evidence. The crab survived because it observed the environment, not just the promise. Trust but verify — especially when the terms seem unusually generous.
In an opportunity you're evaluating, what are the equivalent fish bones — the evidence that contradicts the story being told?
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