Fools

It was a cold and silent night. The weather was freezing cold. A group of monkeys were on a tree. They were clinging to its branches. One of the monkeys said, “I wish we could find some fire. It will help us to keep warm.”

Suddenly they noticed a flock of fireflies. One of the young monkeys thought it was fire. He caught a firefly. He put it under a dry leaf and started blowing at it. Some other monkeys also joined in his efforts.

In the meanwhile, a sparrow came flying to its nest which was on the same tree the monkeys were sitting on. She noticed what they were doing. The sparrow laughed. She said, “Hey silly monkeys, that is a firefly, not real fire. I think all of you should take shelter in a cave.”

The monkeys did not listen to the sparrow. They continued to blow at the poor firefly for hours. Cradled in her warm nest the sparrow sat watching from the other limb.

The firefly finally escaped the monkeys. The monkeys never went to the cave. They sat in the tree all night during the terrible storm and nearly froze to death.

The poor sparrow felt for the monkeys. Finally she thought, “Fools never value good advice. It is better not to advise them."