"You mean seeing Midnight Kills will make people love evil?"

"Yes. Because of your art."

At the end of every Finky Linky Show, Wyatt always read a fable or myth or something wise from long ago that had a moral or meaning to it way beyond the typical kid's story. It was one of my favorite parts of the show. When we were flying to California, Finky told me he'd recently heard one that he loved. Was it a Sufi tale? I can't remember.

A scorpion and a turtle were best friends. One day the two of them came to the edge of a very wide and deep river they had to cross. The scorpion looked and shook his head. "I can't do it – it's too wide."

The turtle smiled at his friend and said, "Don't worry, just ride on my back. I'll take us both across." So the scorpion got on the turtle's back, and in no time at all they were safely on the other side.

But once there, the scorpion immediately stung the turtle.

Horrified, the turtle looked at the other and asked with his last breath, "How could you do that to me? We were friends and I just saved your life!"

The scorpion nodded and said sadly, "You're right, but what can I do? I'm a scorpion!"