In a beautiful garden, a rose and a toad had been growing together. For a long time they shared all kinds of experiences, secrets and, above all, a friendship that seemed eternal.
Life was passing and the toad watched as her friend became more and more beautiful. It was a pleasure for him to go visit her, jump around her and tell her everything that happened outside that garden.
But the rose began to realize its beauty and the attraction it exerted on the people who looked at it.
The only problem was that, from time to time, a toad would appear leaping around it, scaring away those who approached.
The day came when the rose, already tired of the situation, spoke to the toad.
"Hey," he said, "could you not do the same thing you do here, that of jumping from one side to another, in any other part of the garden?"
—But… —he answered confused— until now you have never bothered my presence, you have always liked having me around…
"Yes, it is true, but I have noticed that you scare all the visitors who come to see me." You scare them and also ... your appearance no longer harmonizes with my beauty.
"Well ..." replied the frog sadly "how far those times have been ...
They were both silent for an eternity. He waiting for a rectification and she, instead, waiting for him to leave.
"Okay ..." the toad finally answered, "don't worry, the garden is very big, I can go anywhere else" and he walked away from there.
And spring passed, and summer, and also autumn ...
And during all that time, they both made their lives separately. They did not see each other again in months, until one day the toad decided to visit the rose.
But when he arrived he was totally surprised. Her friend, that pretty flower, was now withered, there was hardly a trace of the beauty she had had months ago. Its petals were pierced, its stem fallen ...
-Hello rosa.
"Hello, Toad," she replied with dew on her cheeks.
"But what happened to you? What have they done to you? Why do you look so bad?"
-I do not know. The first days everything went well, but little by little the bugs began to eat me, especially the ants. One day a peck here, another day another peck there and they have taken over me ...
"Oh, Rosa!" Replied the toad, "you never realized that before there was someone who ate all those bugs that were close to you. You were too busy observing your own beauty.