The Ant and the Grasshopper
Grasshopper was a lively, happy insect, who didn’t have a care in the world. He spent the long summer days relaxing in the sunshine or bouncing and dancing through the grass.
“Why are you working so hard?” asked Grasshopper one day, when he saw Ant struggling to carry some again on her back.
“It’s such a sunny day! Come and play!”
“I’ve got no time, Grasshopper,” said Ant.
“I have to take this grain back to my nest, so that my family and I have enough food when winter comes. Have you built your nest yet?”
“Nest?” laughed Grasshopper. “Who needs a nest when life in the great outdoors is so wonderful? And there’s plenty of food --what should I worry?”
Day after day, Grasshopper played, while Ant worked. Soon the trees began to lose their leaves and the days began to get shorter and cooler. But lazy Grasshopper hardly noticed. He was still too busy enjoying himself.
A few days later, it began to snow. Grasshopper suddenly found himself cold and alone. He was hungry and there wasn’t a crumb of food to be found anywhere!
“I know,” said Grasshopper. “Ant will help me.” So he set out to look for Ant’s nest. It was safe and warm beneath a rock. Ant came out to see him. “What do you want?” she asked “please, Ant,” said Grasshopper, “have you any food to spare?”
Ant looked at him. “All summer long, while we worked hard to gather some food and prepare our nest, what did you do?”
“I Played and had fun, of course,” said Grasshopper. “That’s what summer is for!”
“Well, you were wrong, weren’t you, “said Ant. “If you play all summer, then you must go hungry all winter.”
“Yes,” said Grasshopper sadly, as a tiny tear feel from the corner of his eye. “I’ve learned my lesson now. I just hope it isn’t too late!”
Ant’s heart softened. “Alright, come on in,” she said. “I’ll find some food for you.”
Grasshopper gratefully crawled into the warm nest, where Ant and her family shared their food with him.
By the time spring came around, Grasshopper was fat and fit and ready to start building a nest of his very own!
The End
