Theme: envy

The envious beetle

From the window of his burrow, the very annoyed beetle complained aloud to himself:

- What a beautiful light! How it shines! It looks like a tiny star fallen from the sky. It's so beautiful!

It was from the firefly that the beetle spoke with such envy. That light that flashed on and off made him furious because it wasn't his. The husky beetle was like that. He always wanted to be like others, neighbors, relatives, friends. When the grasshopper bought a green coat and showed up at the cricket party, his mouth dropped open. Wanting, of course, to be like the grasshopper. He returned to the house annoyed and sad. He didn't even enjoy the party.

- What happened? - asked his mother.

- Nothing, I thought the party was boring, that's all - he replied, going to bed.

The same thing happened when he heard a little bird singing. He wanted to sing anyway. And so, always wanted to be like the others, he was a sad beetle. But what irritated him the most was the firefly and he thought:

- I wish it was me who had that beautiful light!

The beetle's envy was so big that even with so many reasons to be happy, he felt very unhappy.

One day, he was thinking about it so much, that he made an unexpected decision. He decided to leave the house. Maybe he could find a place to live alone, away from the firefly and his light that bothered him so much. He didn't think about his mother, or his siblings, or the good things he had. He just flew away.

The beetle flew a lot, until he got tired. He really wanted to go far. When he couldn't take it anymore, he landed on a lawn and sat down to rest.

It didn't take long, an ant arrived, which smiled at the sight of him and greeted him:

- Hello how are you? Can I help with anything? You look tired. I'm small, but I'm very strong - said the ant, smiling - My sisters and I can carry you if you need to.

- Hey! Thanks! But no need to bother. I am fine. Just a little tired because I flew a lot more than I usually do. I stopped to rest, but soon I'll be fine.

- Ah, that's good! So, you're tired for good reason, aren't you? Flying must be amazing!

The beetle knew that not all insects flew, but he was so used to paying attention only to what he didn't have that he didn't remember valuing this special ability of his.

The beetle stayed there talking to the ant for some time and the new friend introduced him to other animals that were approaching. He met the worm, the snail, the ladybug, and the cricket. They were all friends and were very friendly to the beetle.

- Your color is very beautiful. That shiny black of your back makes you elegant. It looks like you’re in a suit, dressed for a party! - Said the snail.

- That’s true! – agreed the others, smiling.

The beetle sensed that they were speaking sincerely and also that they didn't mind him being that way. On the contrary, they really seemed to like him being handsome and knowing how to fly.

The beetle started to think about how they were different from him. He realized that they were friends with each other, that they praised each other, liked each other and were happy together.

“How envious and sad I am. These little animals are not like me, they live happily helping each other” - thought the beetle - “I'm not right. I need to try to change.”

The beetle then decided to fly back home, where his mother was definitely worried, looking for him.

He said goodbye to his new friends, promising to return to visit them and, on the way, he thought:

- I will try to live happier and happier as I am, with everything I have. I can push myself and be a strong, beautiful beetle. I will not be saddened by the firefly's light. I will look at him and just admire his beauty. Who knows, I might be his friend one day!

(Adaptation of the story from the Jardim “A” Evangelization booklet by Editora Aliança.) 

Translation:
Larissa Martine - larissa_am@hotmail.com

marcelapradacontato@gmail.com