The Ant and the Grasshopper

It was a bright, hot summer afternoon. The sun shone down on a beautiful green meadow. Crickets were chirping, butterflies were fluttering, and a happy Grasshopper was hopping about.

The Grasshopper loved summer. He had plenty to eat, the weather was warm, and he felt like singing all day long. He tucked his fiddle under his arm and played a merry tune. Chirp, chirp, trill!

As he was dancing on a leaf, he noticed a long line of tiny black Ants marching on the ground below. They were carrying heavy grains of corn, seeds, and crumbs of bread. They looked very tired.

“Hello there, little Ant!” called the Grasshopper to the last ant in the line. “Why are you working so hard on such a lovely day? It is too hot to work! Come and sit with me. I will sing you a song.”

The Ant stopped for a moment to wipe his brow. “I cannot rest,” he explain breathless puff. “I am helping to store food for the winter.”

“Winter?” laughed the Grasshopper. “My dear friend, winter is months away! Look around you. There is food everywhere—juicy leaves, sweet nectar, and corn stalks. Why worry about the cold now? Let us enjoy the sunshine.”

“Summer does not last forever,” said the Ant wisely. “Soon the cold winds will blow, and the snow will cover the ground. If we do not gather food now, we will have nothing to eat then.” And with that, the Ant lifted his heavy load and marched on.

The Grasshopper just shook his head. “Silly ants,” he thought. “They miss all the fun.” And he went back to playing his fiddle.

Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months. The leaves on the trees turned gold, then brown, and finally fell off. The air grew chilly. The birds flew south.

One morning, the Grasshopper woke up shivering. The meadow was covered in a thick blanket of white snow. The green grass was gone. The juicy leaves were gone. There was not a single crumb of food to be found.

He tried to sing to keep warm, but he was too weak and hungry. “I am starving,” he whispered.

Then he remembered the Ant. “Maybe my friend will share some of his corn,” he hoped. He hopped slowly to the Ant’s anthill. He knocked on the tiny door. Rat-a-tat-tat.

The door opened. Inside, it looked warm and cozy. The ants were gathered around a pile of food, eating happily. “Please,” chattered the Grasshopper, “may I have a bite to eat? I am so cold and hungry.”

The Ant looked at him. He felt sorry for the Grasshopper, but he also remembered the summer. “I told you, friend Grasshopper,” said the Ant gently. “If you play all summer, you will have empty hands in winter. We worked hard to save this food.”

“I know,” said the Grasshopper softly. “I was foolish.”

The Ant was kind. He gave the Grasshopper a few grains of corn to save him from starving, but he said, “Eat this and regain your strength. But next summer, you must promise to work before you play.”

The Grasshopper ate the corn gratefully. He understood the lesson well.

Moral of the Story: There is a time for work and a time for play. Preparing for the future is the sign of a wise mind.

Moral of the Story: Work hard today to be safe tomorrow. There is a time for work and a time for play.