A Friend For All Seasons

Rumi, the squirrel lived inside the hollow of a mango tree.

Manoj Roy

Monty, the monkey also lived on this tree. Rumi was always collecting seeds or nuts and would store them in her house.

“Why do you run around so much, Rumi? If you keep at it, you will soon fall sick,” said Monty.

“If I don’t work hard now, I may run out of food later,” said Rumi.

“What do you mean?” asked Monty.

“You may have heard that it will rain heavily in our forest in a few days’ time. I am saving up as much food as I can find, so that I do not have to worry about going out to eat, in case I am stuck inside my house for a few days," explained Rumi.

“Why do you worry so much when we have our mango tree? We can eat its fruits whenever we need. Just enjoy the rains," said Monty.

"Monty, I feel that you should also prepare for the rains, gather some food and strengthen your house. If it rains continously for days, then what will you eat?" asked Rumi.

“And what if it doesn’t rain? Wouldn’t all your hard work go waste?” mocked Monty.

"Hard work never goes waste, Monty," said Rumi.