A squirrel joined the service of the King of the Forest, the lion. He did whatever work was given him, quickly and well. The lion became fond of him and promised to give him a cartload of

 A squirrel joined the service of the King of the Forest, the lion. He did whatever work was given to him, quickly and well.

Impressed by his dedication, the lion grew fond of him and promised:

“Loyal squirrel, for your hard work, I shall reward you with a cartload of…”

The squirrel’s eyes widened with excitement. Could it be gold? Jewels? A grand feast?

“…nuts!” the lion declared.

The squirrel was delighted! Nuts were his favorite food. He bowed deeply.

"Thank you, Your Majesty! I shall cherish this reward!"

The lion nodded. "I will have it delivered to you tomorrow morning."

The next day, the squirrel rushed outside at sunrise. He eagerly waited for his grand reward.

Finally, he saw a cart rolling in. But when it stopped in front of him, he realized—it was EMPTY!

Confused, the squirrel ran to the lion’s den.

“Your Majesty! You promised me a cartload of nuts, but the cart was empty!”

The lion stretched lazily and smirked.

"Ah, my little friend… I am the King of the Jungle. I don't collect nuts. I only made the promise. You have to gather them yourself and put them in the cart!"

The squirrel's jaw dropped.

And that, dear friends, is how "working for exposure" started in the animal kingdom.

A squirrel joined the service of the King of the Forest, the lion. He did whatever work was given to him, quickly and well.

Impressed by his dedication, the lion grew fond of him and promised:

“Loyal squirrel, for your hard work, I shall reward you with a cartload of…”

The squirrel’s eyes widened with excitement. Could it be gold? Jewels? A grand feast?

“…nuts!” the lion declared.

The squirrel was delighted! Nuts were his favorite food. He bowed deeply.

"Thank you, Your Majesty! I shall cherish this reward!"

The lion nodded. "I will have it delivered to you tomorrow morning."

The next day, the squirrel rushed outside at sunrise. He eagerly waited for his grand reward.

Finally, he saw a cart rolling in. But when it stopped in front of him, he realized—it was EMPTY!

Confused, the squirrel ran to the lion’s den.

“Your Majesty! You promised me a cartload of nuts, but the cart was empty!”

The lion stretched lazily and smirked.

"Ah, my little friend… I am the King of the Jungle. I don't collect nuts. I only made the promise. You have to gather them yourself and put them in the cart!"

The squirrel's jaw dropped.

And that, dear friends, is how "working for exposure" started in the animal kingdom.