The Monkeys and the Dragonflies

The Monkeys and the Dragonflies

One very hot day, the air above the green forest barely moved. Leaves hung still, streams felt warm, and even the noisiest birds searched for shade. A little dragonfly was traveling from pond to pond. She had flown so far that her wings could barely carry her. “Just a minute's rest,” she said, landing on a branch of a large tree. This was not an empty tree. A whole troop of monkeys lived there. The monkeys were dozing, scratching one another's backs, and tossing half-eaten fruit around. The most quarrelsome monkey noticed the dragonfly. “Hey, you! Why are you sitting on our tree?” “I am very tired,” the dragonfly replied politely. “I will rest a little, then fly on.” “Our tree is not an inn!” “I am not touching anything,” said the dragonfly. “I only need some shade.” But the monkey wanted to impress her friends. She grabbed a thin stick and waved it near the dragonfly. “Go away!” The dragonfly was quick. Her wings flashed, and she slipped aside so easily that the stick cut through empty air. “There!” said the monkey proudly. “Did you see how I chased her off?” The others laughed. The dragonfly flew to a lake where a large family of dragonflies lived. Their elder, the Dragonfly King, sat on a broad leaf among the reeds. “What happened?” he asked when he saw the weary traveler. She told him everything. The king frowned. “One rude monkey is no reason to quarrel with the whole forest. But neither should we let someone bully the small merely because they are small.” “What shall we do?” the dragonflies asked. The king thought, then smiled. “First, we will talk.” Three dragonflies flew to the monkeys' tree. “Our king asks your king to remind everyone that a branch is wide enough for more than one creature,” they said. “A tired traveler should be allowed to rest.” The Monkey King sat in the highest fork eating a mango. “Ha!” he laughed. “Let your king come tell me himself. Then we shall see who gives orders to whom.” “We are not giving orders,” said the dragonflies. “We are suggesting peace.” “Fly away!” The messengers returned. The Dragonfly King sighed. “So words did not work. Then perhaps we must show them that agility can be a kind of strength too.” The next morning, dragonflies gathered above a clearing. There were many of them, but each was light as a leaf. The monkeys arrived carrying long sticks. “Watch us!” they shouted. “One good swing and we will scatter you all!” The Dragonfly King spoke softly to his people. “Do not fight. Do not land on the ground. When the monkeys begin swinging their sticks, land on top of their heads and take off again at once.” “On their heads?” asked the youngest dragonfly. “Exactly. And be quick.” The Monkey King raised his hand. “Begin!” The monkeys swung their sticks. Whoosh! But the dragonflies were no longer in front of them. One after another, they landed on monkey heads. “There is one on me!” cried the first monkey, swinging her stick overhead. The dragonfly flew away. The stick lightly bumped the shoulder of the monkey beside her. “Hey! Be careful!” “One is on my ear!” Whack! “Ow! That was my own arm!” “One is on my tail!” “Stop turning around!” Within moments, the clearing became a tangle of confusion. The dragonflies landed and lifted away, landed and lifted away. The monkeys, trying desperately to chase them, only got in one another's way. One stick tangled in a vine. Another wedged between branches. A third fell into a bush. The Monkey King spun so many times that he finally sat down in a pile of dry leaves. Rustle! Everyone froze. Then the smallest monkey began to giggle. First quietly. “Hee-hee.” Then louder. “Ha-ha-ha!” Another monkey joined in. Then another. Before long the entire troop was laughing. The Monkey King stood, shook leaves from his fur, and looked gloomily at the dragonflies. “Very well,” he said. “You are small, but you are extremely quick.” The Dragonfly King hovered in front of him. “And you are large and strong. So why must either of us prove we are better? The forest is big enough for everyone.” The Monkey King scratched his head. “Perhaps we did go too far.” The quarrelsome monkey who had started everything approached the traveling dragonfly. “Listen... it was very hot that day, and I wanted to show off. I am sorry.” The dragonfly folded her wings. “Apology accepted. And I promise not to sit directly on your nose unless absolutely necessary.” “Especially not the king's nose!” shouted the smallest monkey. Everyone laughed again. From then on, the tree had a simple rule. A tired dragonfly could rest on any free branch, and no monkey would wave sticks at her. Whenever a young monkey began boasting that strength solved every problem, the older monkeys smiled. “Careful. Remember the day we went to war with the dragonflies?” The boaster usually became much quieter. Because everyone in the forest knew that small wings and quick thinking could outmaneuver a large stick. And better still, once everyone had stopped showing off, they could find a way to share the forest without any battle at all.

May this story leave a little light in your heart ✨