Seema The Fortune Telling Giraffe: A Cautionary Tale For Adults

Ever heard the story of Seema the Giraffe? His neck was long, so long that he could see into the future. Day after day, year after year he would stretch his neck to the firmament, look over the vast expanses of time and space, and see all that awaited mankind. When he would descend to the earth, the Villagers would gather round and listen to Seema describe the future to come and they would act accordingly.

The Villagers worshipped Seema. Not only was he a beautiful animal to gaze upon, but every now and again his visions from the clouds would come true. If a Hunter needed courage for the hunt, Seema would tell him of the great beasts he would snare and how it would feed the village for weeks. If a woman was worried about giving birth or raising children, Seema would assure them they possessed all things needed to be successful. For years he lived a life of leisure, supported by the food, water, and adoration supplied by gullible Men and Women, frightened of living a life without certainty.

To lose Seema was to lose a conduit to the supernatural, and with the uncertainties of their natural environment one couldn’t afford to test fate. No important decision was made without the consultation of Seema, and like any living being with the ability to bathe in the power of reliance, he began to grow arrogant.

One evening a great tempest fell upon the land. By daybreak all the meager trinkets and possessions had been destroyed. Sturdy huts and altars once marveled and adorned now reduced to rubble. Crops that were once vibrant and dependable now leveled to mere dust. A third of the Inhabitants perished as well and Seema was nowhere to be found.

Befuddled by what had fallen upon them, the remaining Villagers went on a quest to find Seema.

For miles on foot, through the dry lands of the east and the Northern marsh they searched for him to no avail. Maybe he too had perished? Maybe he had been drawn up to the next life with their forefathers? All hope had been lost, until by chance, they found Seema fast asleep, nestled in an abandoned cave, surrounded by the food, water and valuables they had provided.

The Villagers awakened Seema asking, “Why did you not warn us? Why did you leave us? What do we do now?” To their surprise, Seema began to laugh saying, “Did you not hear the knocking of Thunder in the sky? Did you not see the greyness form in the clouds? Did you sleep through the crackling of the trees?”

Overcome with anger the villagers shouted, “But you did not prepare us. You did not give us words from on high which could have lead us to a wise decision. Had you prepared us, we would have escaped this fate. This is your fault!”

Again Seema laughed, lowered his great neck to the Villagers, and with a calm voice whispered, “If you can’t see the obvious, you deserve everything that has befallen you.”

With that, the Villagers parted ways with Seema The Giraffe and headed back toward their once vibrant home never to be seen again.

Seema, he went back to sleep.