The donkey vegetable sculptor

One day a rabbit was watching a donkey crossing along a path. It saw on the front of the donkey was attached a carrot. He saw a human near the donkey and asked him what the carrot was doing there. "Well", the human explained, "The carrot is there so that the donkey will move forwards. You see the donkey wants to eat the carrot and as it is in front of him, he believes that as he trots forwards he will reach the carrot. Little does he know that as he moves, so does the carrot. So, he will move forever forwards and yet remain tantalisingly close to the tasty carrot".

This donkey is so looking forward to eating the carrot. She imagines the taste and the satisfying crunch and the energetic, nutritious kick she'll get when she digests it. She cannot wait to eat it, surely only a little bit more trotting forwards and it'll be hers, she thinks. Trot, trot, trot, she continues forwards.

Her donkey friend, Bob, has a different idea though. He too has a carrot dangling in front of his face. He doesn't want to eat the carrot, though, but instead sculpt into it, to form it into a piece of art. For Bob was a sculptor; an amateur vegetable sculptor. And the longer he chased the carrot for, the longer he had to plan his sculpture. What would he sculpt? He would sculpt a long and winding helix from the bottom of the carrot all the way around many times, and up to the top - up, up and around. Up, up and around. And at the very bottom of the helix would be a donkey, and at the very top, all the way up, up and around, there would be a carrot.

Interestingly, the donkey in this sculpture was actually made of carrot! So his sculptural likeness was in fact, exact. For the sculpted donkey, who was chasing around the helix to catch his carrot, was a carrot donkey. Nonetheless, even though he was made of carrot, he still became tired from all of this chasing around the helix, up, up and around. And he became very tired and sleepy, and his eyelids became heavy, and he just wanted to close his eyes and drift of to a carroty sleep.

All of this planning of the sculpted carrot reminded Bob of the story his parents had told him - of his birth. The doctor who delivered this donkey had an uncanny ability to foresee future qualities in animals. He knew as soon as he saw this baby donkey that he'd be a very good sculptor, but not just any kind of sculptor, but a sculptor of vegetables. His family was delighted, themselves being artsy, and more particularly being fans of sculptors of vegetables. "It requires many fine qualities to be able to sculpt a vegetable", the father argued, and the mother pointed out that you could eat the material you had sculpted away - a nutritious snack that provided minerals and vitality. Lo and behold, the doctor was right, and Bob did indeed develop into a prodigious vegetable sculptor.

As well as planning what he would scuplt out of his carrot, Bob was also thinking about what he'd do with the sculpture. He'd take his fine carrot masterpiece to the local art market, he decided, where he'd showcase the carrot to all interested parties, and sell it for a good price. And with the money he'd make, he'd be able to buy many other vegetables! More carrots, some sweet potatoes, a cucumber or two, some radishes, a few peppers and a large aubergine. Some of these vegetables he'd eat, to stay nice and healthy and strong. Others, he would give away to his friend donkeys, so that they could be happy and no longer have to trot onwards indefinitely. And yet other vegetables, he could keep for sculpting of course! And some of these sculptures, he could again sell in order to buy more vegetables, thus starting a virtuous and healthy vegetable art spiral.

Now, with his plan complete, all he needs to do is to trot a bit more to reach this carrot in front of him! He must be close now... trot, trot, trot, trot.

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