Why Does the Cock Eat the Millipede?

ORIENTATION 
     Long ago the cock had a pair of beautiful horns
on his head. But at that time there was a dragon who
was prevented from ascending into heaven because he
lacked a pair of horns. And so he offered the millipede
as a guarantor, and borrowed the horns from the
cock!

EVALUATION
    When the millipede came for the horns, he said to
the cock: "When you want your horns back, you must
call out at dawn: 'Give me back my horns!' and they will
be returned to you at once. You need have no occasion
to be concerned in the least."
   
EVALUATION 
    The kind cock knew how difficult it was to
ascend to heaven, so, reassured by the good security
the millipede offered, he loaned his horns without
hesitation, just twisting them right off his head. He
also thought to himself that when the dragon returned
form his visit to heaven, they could sit down and have
a good conversation; he would ask the dragon to tell
him how things were in heaven, and if it really was
beautiful there, as he had always heard. If it was true,
he might consider going there himself someday, he
thought.   
    
 COMPLICATION
  So, next morning at daybreak (for the dragon's visit
was scheduled to be brief), the cock called out loudly:
"Give me back my horns!" But, even though he repeated
this demand ten times over, there was no sign at all
of either the dragon or the horns. Worried, the cock
promptly went off to complain to the millipede, who
soothed him, saying: "If the dragon has not returned
the horns this morning, then he will certainly do so
tomorrow. At the very latest, the day after that. Just
learn to be a little patient and your horns will soon be
back on your head, just as before."
The cock did wait several days, but although he
called out every morning at sunrise: "Give me back
my horns!" They never did reappear. The cock was
extremely annoyed at this deception and loss, as you
can well imagine, therefore he ordered all the members
of his family to eat millipedes on sight.    

RESOLUTION 
   Even so, the cock has not yet given up hope of
getting his horns returned. He ordered his descendants
always to call out at the break of day: "Give me back my
horns!" He still hopes that the dragon may hear him!
                                                                         Taken from The Asian Animal Zodiac, 1998