The Revelation of the Ear

Snow Ears scrapped off the last of the clay from his ear. He peered at his reflection in the pool and was relieved to see that, though still a little dirty, the ear had not become infected. He dipped it into the water once more then straightened his back as he sat on his hind legs and rubbed the ear dry with his paws.

A pair of chortles blasted from a bough overlooking the pond. "Suck on your ear too hard last night? Ha ha," said the monkey Bo.

"No, I did not. This is an experiment."

The other monkey, Doh retorted, "What? An experiment on stupidity?"

"No, it is an experiment by Dr. Scales to prove that a reduction in the size of the ears will improve intelligence."

The chuckles above his head quieted. Soon Snow Ears found himself flanked by two curious monkeys. Bo asked, "Does it work?"

Doh added, "How does it make you feel?"

Snow Ears sniffed and hopped away. That would teach them to laugh at him.

As the days passed, more and more animals began to approach Snow Ears and asked him about Dr. Scales's experiment. Some offered him jobs and many wanted to be seen in his company discussing about his ear. Mother rabbits invited him to their home for dinner, hoping that he would cast an interest on one of their daughters.

Scales watched the goings-on and came to the conclusion that the opportunity to get more pay from Goose was too hard to be ignored. What he had started as an act to destroy Snow Ears now look like an act that he could capitalize on. The rabbit was already smart in the first place, but because he was timid, no one had ever noticed him. However the halved left ear had brought him attention and made him into a celebrity of sorts in the jungle.

After Snow Ears had brushed off his throng of admirers at the door one morning, Scales asked, "Well Snow Ears, how well has the experiment worked for you?"

"Oh, it works wonderful Dr. Scales. There is hardly a moment when I am alone."

"Does it make you feel more intelligent?"

"Definitely sir."

"See. That was all you need to make you more confident: A little more intelligence. Success will follow very close by after that."

"That is so true Dr. Scales," Snow Ears said as he hopped over to his desk.

"Very good. I can meet Goose after this and tell him we will move this experiment to full scale. Maybe for 50 long-eared animals."

"Do you need any help sir?" Snow Ears asked, and stood up to full height.

"Of course. Since you're more intelligent, I will need you to draft out the survey form for me. I will cut the ears, then maybe a week or two later, you can approach the participants and ask them how they feel."

"Thank you sir. That is such an honor. I will not fail you."

"Of course you will not. This is a great community service. Imagine what the jungle would be like if nobody is a loser."

"Why sir, it would be paradise."

"Exactly," Scales said as he slithered out of the office.

Even before the door closed behind him, Snow Ears had already pulled out a sheet of leaf and began to chew on the end of a pencil. The most important item, the ear's length before and after was easy enough. But how about the rest. Finally he decided on a qualitative method and listed out questions that participants have to answer with either a yes or no.

He looked at the questions again. Maybe something was wrong, maybe Scales would not like it, maybe it was stupid. Involuntarily his paws reached for his left ear, but it was not there. Snow Ears sat up on his haunches and said aloud, "What will be, will be. Dr. Scales will help me figure it out," and a warm feeling, like the wine that he shared the night before with Shecat, coursed through him.

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