| General Fiction posted June 26, 2022 |
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What do you do when life throws obstacles up?
The Child and the Grasshopper
by GeraldShuler
Write A Modern Fable Contest Winner
A child once caught a grasshopper and decided to keep him as a pet. The grasshopper was put in a box with water and food so the child knew his pet would stay happy. But the grasshopper was not happy at all. He constantly jumped out of the box and the child had to catch him again and again. Finally the child put a lid on the box to kept his pet from escaping. Even then, the constant sound of the grasshopper could be heard each time he tried to jump high enough to escape. The lid stopped him but still the determined pet refused to stop trying to get out of the box. Day after day the child heard the thump, thump, thump of the grasshopper banging his head on the lid.
After some time had passed, though, all the thumping stopped. Not a sound could be heard from inside the box. Was his pet still there? Had he died? The child lifted the lid and was relieved to see his pet munching on a leaf. Not once did the grasshopper try to jump out of the box even though the lid was now removed. He would only jump high enough to avoid banging his head again. The grasshopper never again jumped high enough to get out of the box. He could have jumped out but he had learned that his freedom would hurt too much to be worth such a headache. So the child kept his pet for a long time, never knowing how sad the grasshopper had become.
And the moral of the story is "Don't get so used to life's obstacles holding you back that you miss seeing when they have been removed."
A child once caught a grasshopper and decided to keep him as a pet. The grasshopper was put in a box with water and food so the child knew his pet would stay happy. But the grasshopper was not happy at all. He constantly jumped out of the box and the child had to catch him again and again. Finally the child put a lid on the box to kept his pet from escaping. Even then, the constant sound of the grasshopper could be heard each time he tried to jump high enough to escape. The lid stopped him but still the determined pet refused to stop trying to get out of the box. Day after day the child heard the thump, thump, thump of the grasshopper banging his head on the lid.
After some time had passed, though, all the thumping stopped. Not a sound could be heard from inside the box. Was his pet still there? Had he died? The child lifted the lid and was relieved to see his pet munching on a leaf. Not once did the grasshopper try to jump out of the box even though the lid was now removed. He would only jump high enough to avoid banging his head again. The grasshopper never again jumped high enough to get out of the box. He could have jumped out but he had learned that his freedom would hurt too much to be worth such a headache. So the child kept his pet for a long time, never knowing how sad the grasshopper had become.
And the moral of the story is "Don't get so used to life's obstacles holding you back that you miss seeing when they have been removed."
After some time had passed, though, all the thumping stopped. Not a sound could be heard from inside the box. Was his pet still there? Had he died? The child lifted the lid and was relieved to see his pet munching on a leaf. Not once did the grasshopper try to jump out of the box even though the lid was now removed. He would only jump high enough to avoid banging his head again. The grasshopper never again jumped high enough to get out of the box. He could have jumped out but he had learned that his freedom would hurt too much to be worth such a headache. So the child kept his pet for a long time, never knowing how sad the grasshopper had become.
And the moral of the story is "Don't get so used to life's obstacles holding you back that you miss seeing when they have been removed."
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Writing Prompt Write a short fable-like story where the last sentence starts with: "And the moral of the story is". This can be on any subject, true or fictional, and can be in any voice, as long as the moral is stated in the last line. A new twist on an old fable is also allowed. Be creative and have fun! Maximum word count: 300 |
Write A Modern Fable Contest Winner |
Aesop did it better.
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