T he Lion, the king of animals, one day called all his subjects to his court, a vast, smelly cave. The bear felt nauseated by the smell and held his nose. The lion was offended and gave him a blow that knocked him senseless. "Does my court smell that bad?" he asked the monkey. "Not at all, Your Highness," said the monkey, ingratiatingly. "I would say your court smells like a bouquet of flowers." The lion knew this was not possible and knocked him senseless too. The other animals, including a fox, began to sidle out of the cave but the lion caught the fox's tail and pulled him back. "Let us have your opinion," he said. "Does my court smell?" "I have a terrible cold, Your Highness," said the fox, forcing a sneeze. "I cannot smell a thing so I cannot tell you whether your court smells or not." The lion liked his clever reply and gave him an important post at his court.
As a learning tool, storytelling can encourage us to explore their unique expressiveness and can heighten our ability to communicate thoughts and feelings in an articulate, lucid manner. These benefits transcend the art experience to support daily life skills. In our fast-paced, media-driven world, storytelling can be a nurturing way to remind us that spoken words are powerful, that listening is important, and that clear communication between people is an art.