Читать книгу The Farm of Wisdom - Warren Cassell Jr. - Страница 8

“Hey Terry, look! It’s harvest season again. You know what this means?” Butch the chipmunk eagerly ran and hopped towards the next tree where his friend Terry lived.

“I’m way ahead of you, pal. My berries are almost running out. Time to gather some more,” Terry said as he led the way to the grove of elderberry trees that Farmer Oliver tended.

The chipmunks collected as much elderberries as they could to save, inside of their homes, into their stuffed mouths until it could hold absolutely no more before emptying and returning to the grove to collect some more.

After several rounds of gathering, Terry went to Butch’s tree to invite him for another round.

“Nah, I’m good. I think these are enough,” satisfactorily pointing to his stash.

Terry noticed that Butch’s load of berries was thinner although they both gathered the same amount. “Where are the rest of your berries?”

“Oh, I ate them on the way here. I got hungry,” Butch grinned.

“Are you sure you don’t want to go with me to collect some more berries? I heard from Farmer Oliver that there might be a storm coming, we should be prepared.”

“You’re such a hoarder, Terry!” Butch laughed. “Don’t worry about the storm, it will pass! We could always get more when the weather calms,” shrugged the chipmunk while popping another elderberry into his mouth.

“Well, we don’t know how long the rain will last, do we? Alright, I’m going back to the grove. You’re free to come with me if you’d like.” Terry ventured off for the grove, but Butch didn’t follow him.

Heavy rainfall and strong gusts of wind made it impossible to get out on the following days. The storm went on for three days and Terry couldn’t be bothered as he had an ample supply of berries to survive. On the fourth day, amidst the noise of the branches and leaves, he heard someone shouting his name from the outside. Butch hurriedly went inside Terry’s hideout, looking weak and shivering.

“What’s up? Why do you look so distraught?” Terry worriedly asked Butch.

“I ran out of berries! I was supposed to get a new batch yesterday, but the rain wouldn’t stop! I am so hungry! I should have listened to you.”

Terry made space for his friend in his home so Butch could spend the night until the storm passed. He also shared his berries with Butch, hoping that he would learn his lesson and be more mindful of the future next time.

If a man takes no thought about what is distant, he will find sorrow near at hand.