Once upon a time there lived a frog. She lived by a small round lake. One day I left my house and hopped along the shore, hopped and hopped into the forest, hopped and hopped and lost my way home.
She rushed there, rushed here and ended up on an ant trail.
Tens of ants jumped on her back, hundreds grabbed her stomach.
“Kwa-a,” the frog began to cry, “quo-o... Isn’t it a shame to offend someone who is lost, to bite a hungry one?”
The ants felt ashamed. They jumped to the ground and bowed low to the frog:
- Dear aunt! Come visit us - taste our food, sip our drink.
The frog came to the ants and sat down in a place of honor. She ate and drank, sang songs and had a conversation, but she didn’t understand what she was talking about - she drank so much honey. Where she sat, she fell asleep.
I woke up when the sun rose high. The ants left for work a long time ago, only one ant hesitated - he was cleaning up the cups and spoons after yesterday's feast.
“Please climb this larch,” the frog asked, “look around.” Can't you see in which direction my house, my round lake...
The ant climbed up the tree, looked in all directions and said:
“Over there, in the west, your lake shines.” If you want, I’ll take you there the shortest route.
- How kind you are! - the frog was happy. - Let's go, let's go quickly. At home I will treat you well.
“I can show you the way,” answered the ant, “but I won’t help myself.” We ants can neither work nor rest separately.
- Okay, okay, let everyone come to visit me. Just to get home before dark.
The ant came down from the tree and ran to the lake. The frog jumped, hopped, hopped, hopped after him, and after the frog the ants flowed like a stream - all, all, how many of them there were in this anthill, both in the neighboring ones and in the distant ones. People from all over the forest gathered to visit the frog.
Here we come to the lake. The frog turned around, and on the shore it was pitch black. There are so many ants that you can’t even see the grass.
The frog's eyes bulged: “What should we do now? She called everyone herself...” - Kwa-ah, I’m so glad! Wait for me here on the shore, and I will arrange for the treat.
And splash into the water!
The ants stand there for a day, wait for two days, but the frog is not visible.
On the seventh day the queen ant became angry.
“Well,” he says, “if you wait for a frog treat, you’ll die of hunger.”
She tightened the belt on her empty belly and went home.
All the ants also tightened their belts and scattered to their anthills.
Since then and to this day, ants have been walking around, tied tightly.
But the frog’s eyes remained bulging.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru