"Why am I different, why am I not as green as my brothers and sisters?!"
The little snake kept asking the question over and over again, but he couldn't get an answer, even from his mother. She couldn't explain why, of the eight baby snakes that hatched from soft-shelled eggs, this one was born with pale yellow skin. Maybe the egg shell cracked prematurely, who knows?!
The relatives were also puzzled, as this colour was considered to be a very peculiar colour for their kind. Ever since they were snakes, they had all been green, and never had anyone worn such a striking pale yellow suit.
The poor little snake had a lot of problems with his colour. First and foremost, he was constantly being called names. Neither relatives nor acquaintances were lenient with him, no one pitied him, only criticised him, unable to come to terms with his unusual colour.
His teammates resented him mainly because he interfered with their playing together. They could not play with him in the open air, in the grass, because the yellow colour would immediately attract the attention of a hungry bird of prey, and the little snakes' playground would have become a table for the little snakes.
And, for better or worse, it was never good for him that he could never participate in the game of hide and seek without being the first to be found among the green grass because of his striking yellow colour.
Exclusion and sadness became the lot of the little snake.
The first summer has passed. Nature's bright green colour was shed like a light summer dress, and as time went on, she changed into something more suited to her, a serious, yellowish-brown dress.
The green grass first turned yellow, then dried up completely and turned a light brown colour. Our little snake was the happiest of all. His skin colour also changed a little, as if he was copying nature, it started to darken and wrinkled a little. He could now pass the time in the meadow in peace, for the dry grasses hid him completely.
But besides the joy, he often wondered what would happen to him next spring, when, in the green charcoal grass, with its yellowish dress tending to brown, he would again be visible during the common games, or would his colour not hide him, but offer him as food to the big birds?
But autumn is also over. The cold winter came, snow covered the woods and fields. All the snakes prepared for hibernation. Even the little snake found a crevice in the rocks where he thought he could hide. At least while he sleeps, he doesn't gorge himself on his special, much-lamented colour.
It was a long winter, but one day it ended. The snake family woke up.
As everyone was eager to get warm, they gathered in one of the spacious clearing in the forest. The renewed green grass was teeming with snakes of all sizes. They were happy for each other and for the sunshine, so they could finally warm up.
Even though her sons were grown, Mama Snake was still worried if all her children were there. With a sinking heart, she kept looking for the little yellow snake, because she couldn't see him anywhere.
He asked here, inquired there, if anyone had seen his eccentric little baby?
Then suddenly someone came up to him and whispered: mama, I'm here.
Mama Snake then saw a beautiful, graceful, yet powerful young snake beside her, no longer pale yellow or pale brown, but bright green like the dewy, fresh grass itself. For the long winter had changed him, and he had shed his first skin, and was now green like his fellows. In fact, it not only became like its brothers and sisters, but even more beautiful than them, a true emerald green.
