The Ant and the Grasshopper
On a warm summer day,
a grasshopper leaped about a field, merrily
singing. Nearby, an ant toil hard under the hot sun. One by one, he
hoisted heavy kernels of corn onto his shoulders and carried them
back to his nest.
“Come join me,” said the grasshopper. “We’ll sing and dance and make
beautiful music!”
“I have no time to make music,” said the ant. “I’m gathering food for
the long winter ahead. I suggest you do the same, if you know what’s
good for you.”
The grasshopper merely laughed. “I have plenty to eat today. Winter
is a long time off. Why worry on such a lovely day?”
Summer turned to autumn, autumn to winter. Now the field was
covered in snow. The ant was burrowed deep in his nest, warm and
content. He had enough food to last the whole winter. But the
grasshopper was no longer singing a happy song. “It’s freezing,” he
shivered. “I’m starving. If only I had listened to the ant’s advice!”