The Ants and the Grasshopper

In a warm summer, a group of ants worked hard every single day. They carried grains of corn and pieces of grain back to their nest, one small load after another, preparing for the cold months ahead. Each ant knew exactly what job to do, and none of them ever complained.

Nearby, a grasshopper spent his days playing music on his violin and singing under the bright sun. He watched the ants march past him in long lines and could not understand why they worked so hard on such a beautiful day.

"Why do you not stop and enjoy the sunshine?" the grasshopper asked one of the ants. "Come sing, instead of carrying that heavy load." The ant paused for a moment and looked up at him.

"We are storing food for winter," the ant explained. "The cold weather will come, and there will be no food left in the fields. You should gather food too, while there is still time." The grasshopper laughed at this warning.

"Winter is far away," he said. "There is plenty of time to worry about that later." He returned to his music, and the ants continued their steady work without another word, gathering food day after day.

As the weeks passed, summer turned to autumn, and autumn slowly gave way to winter. Snow covered the fields, and the plants that once grew there disappeared under the cold white ground.

The grasshopper searched everywhere for food, but he found nothing to eat. Hungry and shivering from the cold, he walked to the nest of the ants and asked if they could spare a little food to help him stay alive.

The ants shared some of their stored corn, and they reminded him gently, "It is wise to prepare today for what tomorrow may bring." The grasshopper thanked them and promised to remember the lesson well.