The Ants and the Elephants, a Fable by Mary Collen

A group of elephants were strolling along on their way to a big town some great distance away.  The elephants were going to get sacks of rice to feed all the animals in their village, who were hungry due to a food shortage.  They came across an old rickety bridge that wouldn’t hold their weight.  The elephants were very worried and weren’t sure what to do.  One elephant said, “Oh my, what ever shall we do?”  Just then they heard a tiny voice say, “YOO WHOO, WE CAN HELP!”  The elephant asked, “What can you do?”  Another elephant replied, “We’re going for big sacks of rice, that would be nearly impossible for you to carry, but you can try if you’d like.”  He barely finished his sentence when suddenly a huge army of ants began marching across the bridge.  Their tiny bodies and weight were no problem for that old rickety bridge.  Soon they all came marching back, each carrying a grain of rice.  Before long the ants and the elephants were back in the village with more than enough food for everyone.  The villagers were so happy to learn how the ants had helped the elephants that they held a parade in their honor.  The elephants apologized for doubting the ants’ ability to help.

Moral: We can accomplish more if we all work together.  Or never underestimate somebody’s ability because of their size.

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