Theme: Good and bad influences

The frightened beetle

The little animals had gathered at the ladybug's house to prepare the picnic that was planned for that afternoon. The ladybug made the sandwiches, the ant made the cake, and the butterfly prepared the juice.

They were all happily working when the doorbell rang. It was the beetle, which arrived breathless.

- My goodness, beetle, why do you have that face? - said the ladybug as she opened the door.

- I came running here! Can't you see the rain coming? - answered the trembling beetle. - I was afraid that I would not find the way if it started to rain heavily. Or even worse, that lightning strikes my head!

- Calm down - said the ladybug. - The day dawned cloudy, but it's already getting better. It doesn't look like it's going to rain, even less heavy rain.

- We never know! - replied the beetle, distressed. - I heard that once a drop of rain fell so heavy on the back of the mosquito that it was never able to fly properly again.

- No way! - said the ant - he makes this excuse, but I've known the mosquito for a long time, and he was never good at flying. Don't listen to everything you hear!

- But it wasn't just him - continued the beetle. - A lot of people have had serious problems with rain. I get scared just thinking about it.

The day before, the beetle had been talking to the grasshopper, who liked to talk about tragedies and told him all the sad events in the neighborhood. The beetle was very sensitive and got impressed by those stories. At night he did not sleep well. He had nightmares, dreamed that it was raining heavily and that the current was dragging him away. When he woke up, he kept reliving those unhappy thoughts and fear eventually settled in his mind.

- Sit down and get some rest - offered the butterfly, bringing him a glass of water. - It's okay, beetle. The clouds are white! We'll finish preparing the food and soon we'll be able to have our picnic.

The beetle accepted. The friends started showing him what they were doing and talking about other topics, trying to cheer him up.

- Can you pack the picnic basket, beetle? - asked the ant, realizing that the beetle was still thinking far away.

- Of course, I can! - replied the friend.

But the beetle had been so nervous, imagining that he would be caught in a storm, that he couldn't stop thinking about it. Suddenly, he heard a noise outside and thought it was thunder, announcing a storm.

The beetle, frightened, scream: Ah!

The beetle's scream startled the butterfly, which dropped all the juice on the ground. The ant, which had been walking, slipped on the wet floor and pulled the tablecloth, trying to hold on. The tablecloth dragged all the ladybug sandwiches to the floor.

The ant, disgusted, shouted at the butterfly:

- Look at that mess! You should watch what you do! Because of you, we lost the sandwiches and juice.

- It's the beetle's fault! He's the one who scared me - replied the butterfly.

The beetle lowered its head, ashamed that it had caused everything.

The host, then, realizing the discussion that was starting, spoke affectionately:

- Guys, let's calm down. It was just an accident, let's not fight about it. Did someone get hurt?

- I'm fine - replied the butterfly, with a sigh. - I was just startled by the noise.

- So was I - said the ant.

- Me too - completed the beetle.

- One scare led to another - explained the ladybug. - We need to pay attention to our attitudes because they influence others. Just as a negative attitude generates other bad feelings, a positive attitude encourages something good too. Let's not dwell on what happened. Let's keep helping each other. We still have the cake, and we can play, talk, sing and have fun. Let's not get upset, let's have our picnic and it will be very nice!

The ladybug's excitement and way of speaking spread joy to her friends, who quickly agreed with her. After cleaning the kitchen, the ant went to get some chips she had at home while the butterfly prepared another juice. They gathered in the garden and had a great picnic.

The beetle had so much fun that he even forgot about his worries. When he returned home, he was feeling fine.

That day at the picnic, the beetle learned a great lesson, discovered how people can influence each other and decided from then on to always be very careful with that.

Translation:
Larissa Martine - larissa_am@hotmail.com

marcelapradacontato@gmail.com