Once upon a time, a busy Little Red Hen lived on a farm with her friends: a lazy Dog, a sleepy Cat, and a noisy Duck. The Little Red Hen was always industrious, always looking for something useful to do. Her friends, however, preferred to nap, play, or simply do nothing at all.
One sunny morning, while scratching in the farmyard, the Little Red Hen found a few grains of wheat. Her eyes gleamed with an idea. She then turned to her friends, asking, “Who will help me plant this wheat?” The lazy Dog merely yawned, barking, “Not I.” The sleepy Cat stretched languidly, purring, “Not I.” The noisy Duck simply ruffled his feathers, quacking, “Not I.”
“Then I will do it myself,” sighed the Little Red Hen. And so, she diligently planted the wheat grains, one by one, under the warm sun.
Time passed, and the wheat grew tall and golden. Soon, it was ripe for harvesting. “Who will help me cut this wheat?” she asked her friends.
The lazy Dog merely rolled over. “Not I,” he barked. The sleepy Cat simply closed her eyes. “Not I,” she purred. The noisy Duck just splashed in a puddle. “Not I,” he quacked.
“Then I will do it myself,” the Little Red Hen declared, her voice tinged with growing weariness. Undeterred, she tirelessly worked, cutting the tall wheat stalks with her strong beak and tiny feet.
Next, the wheat needed to be threshed to separate the grains. “Who will help me thresh this wheat?” she inquired.
The lazy Dog scratched an ear. “Not I,” he barked. The sleepy Cat twitched her tail. “Not I,” she purred. The noisy Duck preened his feathers. “Not I,” he quacked.
“Then I will do it myself,” declared the Little Red Hen, feeling quite tired. She patiently threshed the wheat, separating the golden grains from the husks.
Now, the grains needed to go to the mill to be ground into flour. “Who will help me take this wheat to the mill?” she asked, carrying a heavy sack.
The lazy Dog stretched out. “Not I,” he barked. The sleepy Cat yawned widely. “Not I,” she purred. The noisy Duck waddled away. “Not I,” he quacked.
“Then I will do it myself,” stated the Little Red Hen, her legs aching. She carried the heavy sack all the way to the mill and back, returning with fine, white flour.
Finally, the flour was ready for baking. “Now, who will help me bake this bread?” she asked, placing the flour on the table.
The lazy Dog suddenly perked up. “Oh, I will!” he barked eagerly. The sleepy Cat opened both eyes wide. “I will too!” she purred. The noisy Duck waddled quickly over. “Me too!” he quacked loudly.
The Little Red Hen observed her friends, now gathered closely, sniffing the irresistible aroma of the freshly baked bread. Her eyes held a knowing glint. “When I needed help planting, cutting, threshing, or taking the wheat to the mill,” she stated, her voice firm, “none of you offered assistance. So now, who will help me EAT this bread?”
“I will!” barked the Dog. “I will!” purred the Cat. “I will!” quacked the Duck.
“No!” said the Little Red Hen firmly. “I will eat it myself!” And with that, she enjoyed the warm, freshly baked bread all by herself, savoring every delicious bite. Her friends watched, mouths watering, as the delicious bread disappeared. They had certainly learned a valuable lesson about the direct connection between effort and reward.
Moral of the Story: Those who do not work should not eat. Contribution leads to reward, and laziness leads to missing out.