Lazy Jhumroo

It was a bright sunny day. Jhumroo, the grasshopper was merrily dancing on the leaves of tall green grass. He sang and danced while all others around him worked hard. He thought 'Oh! how foolish they are! one can work afterwards but this lovely weather won't last long.' He saw the colorful butterflies hovering over the flowers to collect nectar. He called out to them,"Hi friends!lovely day, isn't it? why not come and dance with me?" They smiled and replied,"No, friend. We have to make good use of this weather before it starts snowing. Why don't you join us and work for the days ahead when there will be nothing to eat around." "No way! I'm happy the way I am." He replied carelessly.

          After some time he saw a long queue of ants carrying grain on their backs. He said laughingly, "Ha! Ha! why are you working like slaves? You have enough food on your back for today. Come, play with me." One of the ants replied,"Jhumroo, we are saving food for the winter. Why don't you do the same?" Jhumroo again replied carelessly,"Forget it. I don't believe in saving. I'm happy the way I am."
        Soon winter approached and it was snow everywhere. Everything was covered with a thick blanket of snow. Jhumroo was not able to find any food for last two days. Today it was impossible to even step out of the house. But unable to bear the hunger, he came out. Now he regretted not listening to the ants and butterflies. Everyone else was indoors, enjoying the saved food, while he was wandering out in cold. He felt too weak to stand and fell down. Luckily, the ants saw him and carried him inside. They gave him something to eat and said, "If you had worked during the sunny days, you wouldn't have been in this condition." Jhumroo replied, "Yes, I realize my mistake now."
           The ants were kind enough to let him stay with them all through the winter. When spring came, Jhumroo changed himself into a hard working grasshopper.