Once upon a time, shrimps had no eyes. In contrast, earthworms had crystal-clear, beautiful eyes. They lived as neighbors, shrimps among the shallow aquatic plants and earthworms on the riverbank, living peacefully and happily together. Until one summer, a new neighbor, the scorpion, arrived.
The scorpion gazed at the tender shrimps in the water, craving a feast. However, being a "land dweller," it could not catch the shrimps and could only satisfy its hunger with imagination. The scorpion devised a clever plan. It called out to the shrimp, "Hey, friend! The world on land is wonderful. You should go and see, or you'll be wasting your beautiful, long legs!"
The shrimp looked distressed and replied, "I have no eyes. No matter how beautiful the scenery is, I cannot appreciate it."
"You can borrow some from your good friend, the earthworm!" the scorpion urged. "Once you're on land, all the beautiful sights will be before your eyes—the warm sunshine, the gentle breeze; everything is so magnificent!"
The shrimp was tempted. It borrowed eyes from the earthworm and crawled onto the bank. The scorpion had heard of the shrimp's sharp claws and decided to wait patiently.
Lured by the scorpion's sweet words, the shrimp wandered further and further from the water. Soon, exhausted, it collapsed on its way to enjoy the view. At that moment, the scorpion dropped its friendly mask and revealed its true, menacing self. The shrimp realized its mistake, but it was too late. It breathed its last breath with guilt toward the earthworm.
Since then, people say that when shrimps are cooked, they turn red because of their shame and regret. As for the earthworms, they have become blind for generations, and on summer nights, they are said to wail in sorrow.
In this world, Deceptive sweet talk is incredibly tempting and can cause unseen harm. Once blinded by such words, people often make foolish mistakes.
