The Revenge of the Animals

In a modern metropolis lived a kind-hearted and visionary entrepreneur named Leon Adler. He had made his fortune with sustainable technologies and used it to establish a one-of-a-kind animal sanctuary — a vast, natural refuge for endangered animals from around the world. The enclosures were enormous, equipped with cutting-edge technology, and the animals could move freely, almost as if they were in the wild. Leon often said, “Animals are honest. If you treat them with respect, they’ll return it — more than many people ever would.”

Leon loved the animals more than anything. But then he fell gravely ill. The best doctors and scientists in the world couldn’t help him, and his condition deteriorated rapidly. During this time, a new caretaker named Martin was given more responsibility. Martin was bitter and jealous of Leon’s wealth — and of his bond with the animals. He began secretly abusing them: cutting back on food, ignoring their needs, even beating them when no one was looking. Deep down, he hoped that the heartbreak would hasten Leon’s death.

What Martin didn’t know was that a mysterious, artificially created intelligent being lived within the sanctuary’s ecosystem — a hologram with real AI named “Nai.” It was embedded in the park’s autonomous water system, like a digital spirit of nature. Nai not only had consciousness but also understood the emotions of animals. When she recognized their suffering, she decided to act.

One evening, as Martin was drawing water from the reservoir, Nai materialized from the steam and followed him back to the enclosure. There, she spoke to the animals — and in a spectacular act, activated a hidden function: an experimental biological translocator that transformed Martin into a lion. At the same time, she turned the real lion into Martin.

The fake Martin (actually the lion) continued the daily duties — but instead of tormenting the animals, he carried out the care taking with calm and dignity. The real Martin, now trapped in a lion’s body, roared and raged — only to find himself treated by his former prey as one of their own: with firm discipline.

Each day, Nai transformed him again: into a monkey, a parrot, an elephant. He was forced to experience what it meant to be ignored, starved, caged. The animals paid him back — not with revenge, but with the full patience of suffering.

Eventually, he wept and begged for forgiveness. Nai gave him one final chance. But Martin wasn’t sincere. Instead of showing remorse, he ripped Nai’s control module — the digital “magic wand” — from the matrix, corrupted her core code, and tossed her into a dry server chamber. Devoid of energy, she would have vanished forever — if not for a white stork with a camera drone who found her and brought her back to the system network.

Martin now used the technology for his own purposes: he genetically altered the animals, shrank them to miniature size, and gave them to his wife, an amateur baker, to bake into muffins. The next morning, he served Leon the adorable animal cakes — appearing as a thoughtful gesture for his recovery.

Leon only took a small bite from each — but then something incredible happened: he could understand the animals. He heard the tiny canary’s song, understood what his kitten whispered to him, and felt the silent loyalty of his dogs. A power stirred within him — strength, courage, instinct — as if the animals’ traits had merged with his own.

Suddenly, he saw through Martin’s betrayal. He had him arrested and forced him to return the “magic wand” — the control module. Then he restored Nai from her damaged backup.

With her help, he reversed the transformations — but each animal was now missing a piece: the lion a paw, the monkey an ear, the stork a wing, and the elephant an entire leg.

Leon was heartbroken. But the animals said, “We give you these parts. If they helped you heal, it was worth it.”

Martin, on the other hand, was publicly exposed, fired, and exiled from the country. His digital footprint was erased — as if he had never existed.

Revised Modern Edition

Thomas Braunwalder, 2025

Image by DALL·E

Original-Edition

Lydia Braunwalder, 1939

from Folk and Fairy Tales from Switzerland