The Lion and the Mosquito

A tiny Mosquito buzzed around the head of a mighty Lion. “Go away!” roared the Lion. “You are annoying me.”

The Mosquito laughed. “Are you afraid of me?” he asked. “Everyone calls you the King of Beasts, but I am not afraid. In fact, I am stronger than you!”

The Lion was amused. “You? Stronger than me? Prove it!”

“Challenge accepted!” buzzed the Mosquito. He sounded his war cry—Zzzzz!—and dove straight at the Lion. He bit the Lion right on his nose.

“Ouch!” shouted the Lion. He swiped with his huge paw, but the Mosquito was too fast. The Lion only scratched his own nose.

The Mosquito bit his ear. He bit his chin. He bit his tail. The Lion roared and jumped. He scratched and clawed at the air, but he couldn’t catch the tiny insect. He ended up scratching his own face until it bled. Finally, exhausted and defeated, the Lion gave up. “You win!” he panted. “Just go away!”

The victorious Mosquito buzzed with pride. “I defeated the King! I am the strongest creature in the world!”

He flew away, humming a victory song, not looking where he was going. He flew straight into a Spider’s web.

Stick!

His wings were caught in the silky threads. He struggled, but he couldn’t move. A small Spider crawled slowly towards him. “Help!” cried the Mosquito. “I defeated a Lion, but now I am eaten by a Spider!”

It was a sad end for the proud little bug.

Moral of the Story: Pride comes before a fall. Even the strongest have weaknesses, and even the victors can be defeated if they are careless.