Karma might be slow, but she'll get there
In the thick jungle of hashtags and quick scrolling of
sensational news, lived Lia, a glamorous vixen with flawless fur, her phone
glued to her paw. She wasn't just any vixen; she was an influencer, adored by
woodland creatures for her posts about glam vacations, fabulous parties, her
cooking and literary talent, and motivational exercise videos.
But here’s the trick: none of it was real.
She posted edited images of waterfalls she had never seen,
copied recipes from renowned chefs, and claimed credit for bestselling books
that were actually plagiarized from genuine writers, with only the settings and
character names altered. Her social media was a carefully crafted illusion, and
her followers were captivated by it.
One day, Uhu, the wise owl, noticed discrepancies in Lia’s
post pictures. A shadow that didn’t match the sun. A mushroom only found in
northern climates, far from their forest. She sniffed out metadata, traced
watermarks, and pieced together the truth.
Uhu started a straightforward thread titled "The Truth
Behind Her Posts." She included screenshots, proof, dates, and receipts.
The forest animals were stunned. Lia watched as her follower
count nosedived and sponsors disappeared as quickly as morning dew. Lia’s
carefully crafted image fell apart. Yet, Karma wasn't finished with her and
presented her with a decision: fade away in disgrace or take responsibility.
Lia chose honesty. She uploaded a raw, unedited video: “No
filters. No script. Just pure truth.”
She admitted why she had lied. Not out of malice, but to
feel significant. To feel relevant. She told the true tale of a vixen growing
up with low self-esteem who feared being overlooked and tried to shine brighter
than the stars.
The forest took in her words, and gradually, trust was restored. It wasn't trust in a fake glamorous vixen, but in a humble being discovering the strength in honesty. Her new followers? They were drawn not to flawlessness, but to the evidence that reality could be far more compelling and relatable than a polished falsehood.
Erika M Szabo
