"I am about to die. It is too cold up here and I am freezing. There is no food in these mountains, and I am starving. Please put me under your coat and take me with you."

"No," replied the girl. "I know your kind. If I pick you up you will bite me, and your bite is poisonous."

"No, no," said the snake. "If you help me you will be my best friend. I will treat you differently."

The little girl sat down on a rock and studied the snake. She had to admit that it was the most beautifully-colored snake she had ever seen. And it was so in need of her help.

Suddenly she said, "I believe you. I will save you. All living things deserve to be treated with kindness." So she reached down and picked up her new friend, gently placed him under her coat, and continued down the path to Grandmother's house.

She had taken only a few steps when she felt a sharp pain in her side. The snake had bitten her! "How could you do this?" she cried. "You promised and I trusted you!"

"You knew what I was when you picked me up," hissed the snake as he slithered away.