Compassion

"Compassion" title screen

**Compassion** is the fourth episode of the first season of Adventures from the Book of Virtues.

## Plot

After witnessing an immigrant family, the Zigrodnys, lose their house in a fire, Zach is hesitant to show compassion towards them. However, Plato and the others tell him stories about how being compassionate to others can make a difference.

## Full Synopsis

Zach is riding his bike down the street while carrying a toy airplane, when suddenly, he notices a house that is on fire. The house is revealed to belong to an immigrant family known as the Zigrodnys.

    Despite the best attempts of the firefighters to put out the fire, the house ends up getting burned to the ground. The first firefighter apologizes to Mr. Zigrodny that there wasn't anything they could do, and that it's replaceable. However, Mr. Zigrodny despondently asks who can afford, because they've only been in the country for a few months, then becomes even more crestfallen, because they lost everything. Mr. Zigrodny's son, Emile, then comes up to comfort his father, while Zach is able to recognize Emile. One of the neighbors asks Zach if he knows the new neighbors, but Zach quickly denies it before riding off on his bike. Up at Plato's Peak, Zach has told Annie, Plato, Aurora, Socrates, and Aristotle about what happened to the Zigrodnys, while Annie asks Zach if Emile is the new kid in his class, which Zach confirms. Plato then tells Zach that it sounds like the Zigrodnys could use a hand, but Zach says not to look at him because he barely knows them. Besides, he lives a few blocks from the Zigrodnys and that he never even talked to Emile because he has that funny accent. Plato understands how Zach feels, telling him that sometimes we're leery of people who sound and look different.
While this is going on, Sock has been snoring while standing up when Ari suddenly pops up from the ground underneath him. Ari then says that he doesn't understand bobcats because all they do is sleep, while Sock counters back by asking if digging holes all day is better.

    Sock then shoves Ari back into the ground, but Ari pops back up again, which Zach and Annie laugh about. Plato states that Sock and Ari are only pretending to fight, but the Jews and Samaritans were a different story. Ari agrees with Plato's assessment before realizing that Plato said 'story', before he pops back into his hole again and pops up in front of Plato while carrying the Book of Virtues. Plato then says that there's a parable in the Bible told by Jesus about the Jews and the Samaritans.

Story #1: The Good Samaritan

After the story ends, Annie quips that the Priest and the Levite claimed to care about people, yet they didn't help, while it was a good thing that the Samaritan gave Eli a hand. Plato then points out that it's just as the Zigrodnys need a hand. Zach then says that someone else will come along, like in the story. Annie then asks Zach if they don't, though Zach doesn't know, before he throws his airplane as it soars through the sky. However, when Zach tries to catch the airplane, he misses before the airplane flies away as he tries chasing after it. Zach yells for Ari to grab the airplane, but Ari can't because he's busy carrying the Book of Virtues. Zach the calls out for Sock to catch the airplane, but Sock just yawns as the airplane flies past him. Zach still continues chasing after his airplane while calling out for someone to help. Aurora witnesses this as she comments that someone is bound to come along and help. Zach stops at the edge of the falls and can only watch helplessly as the airplane starts to head towards the falls. Fortunately, Aurora flies in and is able to catch the airplane before it can hit the falls, before flying back towards the others.

    Aurora gives the plane to Plato, who gives it to Sock, who gives it to Ari, who gives it to Annie, who gives it back to Zach.

Zach says that he gets it now, which is that if you leave the helping to someone else, it might never get done. Annie then states that they should help the Zigrodnys, which Plato praises Annie for. However, Zach also points out that they're just kids and that anything they would do would be just a drop in the bucket. Aurora agrees with what Zach said, before she flies ahead of him and leads him to the stone wall with the carvings. Aurora then proceeds to tell another story, this time about a little girl who with one small cup of water saved her entire country from drought, which Zach says that he's got to hear.

Story #2: The Legend of the Dipper

After the story ends, Ari lightly jokes to Zach that now his excuse doesn't 'hold water'. Annie then asks Zach to see what even a kid can do. Plato also states that a famous playwright once wrote, "Mercy is twice blessed, it blesses him that gives", before Aurora finishes with "and him that takes". Plato recognizes it from Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice", before Aurora adds, "Act 4, Scene 1", with Plato good-naturedly calling her a show-off. Zach then acknowledges that maybe they can do something, but doesn't know what.

     Annie then grabs Zach by the hand and drags him behind her while telling him that her parents volunteer with a group that builds houses for people that need them, and that maybe the group would rebuild the Zigrodnys' house and she and Zach can even help them.

However, Zach stops Annie, telling her that what she's talking about takes time, and that he's got things to do. Plato then reminds Zach that to help, you may have to give up something, but there's also the reward, which interests Zach. Plato also states that it's just as Androcles was rewarded. When Ari questions about Androcles, Plato points out that Androcles was a slave in the days of the Roman Empire.

Story #3: Androcles and the Lion

     After the story ends, Zach acknowledges that Androcles made a great friend that eventually saved his life, while Plato responds that it was because he cared enough to be a friend. Zach then tells Annie that he's willing to help with the building project to help Emile, while Plato praises Zach, with Annie and Zach high-fiving each other. Inside the cave, Plato reminds everyone that if they all somehow pull together, they can make a better world. Because of that, Plato takes a book off the shelf, while saying that there's a poem written for another building project, which is the Statue of Liberty, the poem being The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus. Because of that, Zach and Annie are hard at work, helping Emile build a brand new house.

     After the house is built, Zach pays Emile a visit while giving him a present, and when Emile opens it, the present is revealed to be Zach's toy airplane, while Zach is happy that he was able to help Emile.

## Characters

* Zach Nichols
* Annie Redfeather
* Plato
* Aurora
* Aristotle
* Socrates

## Minor Characters

* Mr. Zigrodny
* Emile Zigrodny

## Errors

* When Aristotle pops up from the ground underneath Socrates, the upper part of his muzzle is colored a darker shade of yellow than the rest of his body for one frame.
* When Aurora is telling Zach that she couldn't have said it better after he says that whatever they do would be just a drop in the bucket, the feathers around her eyes are cream-colored instead of brown.