The Acrobat

There was once an acrobat who was very good at her art. When she first began as an acrobat, she was very unsure of her abilities. She didn't possess the boldness and courage to try breathtaking tricks. Instead, she preferred to perform the ordinary. And during each of her performances, there was a net below her, which she could be sure of falling onto whenever she missed a few twists and turns or missed the trapeze bar. As time went by, she became bolder. She began trying bolder and more difficult tricks. The audience loved her performances, and they began calling her The Fearless. The ring master took notice of the acrobat's increasing boldness and popularity. So, he decided that the time had come to remove the net from below the acrobat. He hoped that this would make the acrobat appear fearless and her fame, as well as the circus, would grow. The acrobat was unsure at first but then she thought that since she had become more confident and skillful, the net was no longer necessary. She felt that the net would make her look like a novice and was not in line with her image as The Fearless. She therefore agreed that the net be removed. From that moment on, the acrobat performed her tricks guarded only by her boldness, pride and sheer luck. Hopefully, these will not lead her to a tragic end.