• The Lion and the Mosquito

    Aesop's Fables
    Larry the Lion was king of his sunny land. He had a big, bushy mane and a ROAR that could shake the leaves off trees. Everyone respected Larry.

    One hot afternoon, as Larry was trying to nap, a tiny mosquito, so small you could barely see him, buzzed right up to Larry's nose.

    "Hey, big guy!" buzzed the mosquito. "I bet I’m stronger than you!"

    Larry the Lion blinked one sleepy eye. Then he chuckled, a low rumble in his chest. "You? Stronger than ME? That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard all day, little buzzer!"

    "We’ll see about that!" zipped the mosquito. And bzzzzzz, he flew straight up Larry’s nose and gave him a little bite. Ouch!

    Larry sneezed a giant SNEEZE! ACHOOO! The whole jungle shook. But the mosquito was too quick. He zoomed out and then bit Larry on his soft ear.

    Larry swatted at his ear with a giant paw. WHOOSH! He missed. The mosquito buzzed around his head, biting him here, tickling him there. He bit Larry on his other ear, then back on his nose.

    Larry roared and thrashed. He swiped and snapped. He even rolled on the ground, trying to get the tiny pest. But the mosquito was too small and too fast. Larry only ended up scratching himself with his own sharp claws and getting very, very dizzy.

    "See?" buzzed the mosquito, dodging another clumsy swipe. "You can’t even touch me!"

    Finally, tired, itchy, and covered in little red bumps, Larry the Lion huffed, "Alright, alright! You win, you tiny pest! Just leave me alone!"

    The mosquito puffed out his tiny chest. "I told you! I, the mighty mosquito, have defeated the King of the Beasts!" He buzzed a little victory song, "I'm the best, I'm the best, better than all the rest!" and flew off, feeling very, very proud of himself.

    He was so busy singing about how great he was, and how he had beaten the huge lion, that he didn’t watch where he was going. Thwack! He flew right into a sticky spider’s web.

    "Oh dear," he buzzed sadly, stuck fast as the spider slowly came closer. "I beat the biggest animal in the land, but now I’m going to be dinner for a tiny spider. All because I was too busy showing off."

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