Revisiting the Grasshopper
February 4, 2022•389 words
Yes, it is I, the grasshopper who chose to play my fiddle during the summer while the ants gathered food and the birds prepared to fly south.
You have all heard my story and learned not to follow my example, but allow me to take this opportunity to speak my truth.
Let me take you back to the winter before my encounter with the ants. A closer look at this tale that found its way to your collective mythology. My beloved and I were tucked away with plenty of food as we watched over our budding grasshopper eggs, eagerly anticipating their arrival into this world.
God had other plans, however, and my community suffered a treacherous storm that took my brothers, my one true love, and our unborn angels. Stricken with grief and sorrow, I roamed the Earth searching for meaning that would justify my cruel existence.
It was during these journeys that I encountered a rather strange ape. This one held a mysterious device in his hands with which he would create patterns of sound in the air that brought peace to my heart that I hadn't known since that fateful winter night.
I traveled the country with this mellow, bearded ape, always keeping my distance so as to not frighten him. However, nothing seemed to faze the peculiar being. The stars would align his travels, the songs of birds would guide him to trees bearing fruit, and fireflies would light his path once the sun had set.
Upon the dawn of spring, the ape vanished, leaving only a miniature device similar to his own. Ever since the sun rose that day, I have roamed the Earth bringing love, joy, and hope to all of God's creations with this device.
I played for the Beavers as they built their dams. I played for the trout as they searched for still waters. And yes, of course, I played for the ants collecting grain for the winter.
When I was turned away and told to dance, I wished the ants well for the upcoming winter and made my way into the horizon with my fiddle. Where is my fiddle now, you ask?
Well... it just so happened that there was one odd-looking ant that followed me outside the colony... always keeping his distance so as to not frighten me.