Читать книгу Сказки дедушки Ралота. Учим наших детей иностранным языкам - Александр Ралот - Страница 10

Spring rain is swift. It will scare everybody for about fifteen minutes and rush off away. This has happened today, too. After a brief rain, the forest was filled with a familiar melody: grasshoppers chirped, cicadas sang and… a fly moaned plaintively! The poor thing got caught in a spider’s web!

Friends! We must release her straight away!

The brave ant took his guard, urging his friends to go immediately and fight the terrible spider-invader

– Go and tear up his cobweb! It will teach him not to offend the little ones! – Floky commanded, addressing the mantis, – and Gingy will help you: he is to cling to the villain and hold him until you release the buzzing fly.

– Maybe we just should ask him to free her? Why should we show hackles right away? – Zlik suggested unexpectedly for himself. – First, we need to be nice. Do you agree?

***

– No way! I won’t do it! She’s my prey. Moreover, it’s legal. I’ve spun a cobweb. I have been watching her for many hours and now you repeat over and over: let her go. Don’t you know that all spiders are predators? It’s true, we can sometimes feed on nectar or plant juice, but not too often, – Glotton, the spider, turned obstinate, brushing raindrops from the web with his six paws, and tangling the fly tightly with the other two.

– Do you want us to bring you a sweet juicy stalk and exchange it for the fly? Floky rejoiced.

– No! – the spider snapped, – but if you really need this buzzing fly, you have to guess my riddle. If your answer is correct – all right, I’ll let her go.

– Stop stalling for time and ask your riddle! – the friends exclaimed all together.

– Why do all insects have six paws, but we, spiders, have eight ones?

On hearing this, the mantis, the firefly and the ant spread all their eighteen paws apart and began to scratch the back of their heads simultaneously.

Gingy was the first to collect himself.

– Queen Ant, our mother, lives in the anthill. She is very wise and knows everything. Let’s go and ask her to help us. She will not deny aid, because she is kind.

***

Gingy’s brothers were hurrying to the anthill in a continuous stream. Each of them was carrying something delicious to their common home. Some ants were pulling leaves, others – dead mosquitos or plant-lice.

– We are a clean-up crew in the forest: we clear it of all harmful creatures, Gingy said and slipped inside, but Zlik and Floky were stopped by formidable guard ants:

– Not a step further, otherwise we will bite you badly!

Making his way through the numerous labyrinths of the huge ant house, Gingy was in a great hurry, so he was constantly receiving pokes and blows from his kin going to the queen for advice or instructions.

He would never have been received, if it weren’t for Mother Ant who noticed Gingy and menacingly commanded:

– Let the little one through. I see he has something important to say!

A minute later, after listening to the story of one of her countless sons, she had to admit that she did not have an answer to the riddle but added that she knew someone who could give the right answer for sure. It was Fran, the queen of all bees.. The friends needed to make haste to her hive. However, they should be extremely careful, because bees sting aliens without any warning.