Today we are going to share a very educational story called ‘The Chilling Bird’. This is a classic fable from China. Through the encounter of a little bird, children can learn a very important lesson: laziness only brings regret, while hard work can make us live a peaceful and warm life.
Once upon a time, in a rocky crevice on a mountain, there lived a little bird called ‘Chilling Bird’. His neighbour was a clever and industrious magpie who lived high up in a nearby tree.
As autumn approaches, the leaves are slowly falling off the trees and the forest is becoming bare. Although the days were still somewhat warm, the air grew colder and colder at night, and the temperature dropped day by day.
The magpie knew that winter was coming, and he flew out early in the morning, busy looking for twigs, gathering hay and mud, and carefully building his nest, so that he could have a warm home before the cold came. And the chilling bird? He slept all day long in the crevice of the rock, and was in no hurry at all.
One day, the magpie flew over and kindly reminded him, ‘Hey, Corvus, winter is coming soon, so hurry up and build a nest, don’t wait until it gets too cold to worry about it.’
But the chilly bird said lazily, “You’re too nervous, aren’t you? Now the sun is still so good, the weather is warm, I just happen to take a nap, which is so urgent.”
Seeing that it would not listen to advice, the magpie was helpless and went on to work on its own nest.
It wasn’t long before the weather suddenly changed. Dark clouds pressed down, a cold wind whistled, and snow began to fall from the sky. During the night, the snow got heavier and heavier, and the earth and the branches of the trees were covered with white snow. The magpies burrowed into their long-prepared nests and nestled warmly, sleeping peacefully.
The chilling bird, on the other hand, had nowhere to go, so it hid in a crack in the rock. The cold wind blew in, and it froze and shivered, shivering as it whimpered, ‘Ouch it’s cold, it’s freezing …… I’ll be sure to build a nest tomorrow!’
The next morning, the sun came out and the sky became bright and warm again. But the hornbill as soon as he saw the sunshine, laziness again, continue to rely on the rock crevice does not want to move.
The magpies flew in again and advised him, ‘Go and build your nest, it’s a good day for work, don’t delay any longer.’
But the chilly bird frowned and replied impatiently, “Don’t bother me, the sunshine is so good today, why work so hard? I was just about to sleep a little longer.” After saying this, it turned around and continued to snooze.
At night, the temperature plummeted, the wind and snow got even worse, and the hornbill still had no nest, so it could only shrink in the cracks of the stones, and its whole body was almost frozen. It shivered and shouted: ‘It’s so cold ah cold ah …… must build a nest tomorrow ……’
However, this time, it no longer have the opportunity to wait until “tomorrow “. Because on that cold night, it froze to death in a rock crevice.
Moral: What does this story teach us?
This story is simple, but it teaches us a very important lesson about life. The chilling bird died because it had delayed preparing its nest for the winter, but when winter came, it had no place to shelter from the cold.
The magpie, on the other hand, is able to live peacefully and comfortably on cold nights because it prepares in advance and works diligently.
In real life, we often encounter similar situations. Some people always think ‘I’ll do it tomorrow’, but ignore the preciousness of time and the seriousness of the problem. Those who are prepared and serious about their lives will be able to get through the difficult moments.
Words to Children:
Dear children, have you ever noticed that the end of the chilling bird was actually the result of its own laziness and disobedience? If it had started to build a nest earlier, it would not have frozen to death.
We should also be like magpies in our daily life, doing things in a planned way without being lazy or procrastinating. Whether it is studying, doing housework, or preparing for exams, starting early and trying to stick to it is the way to make a better life for yourself.
Whether the sun is shining or the weather is cold, it’s always better to be a person who is willing to work hard and be practical than to be lazy and procrastinate.
Summary:
This short story takes place in a mountain forest, but it is actually very similar to our lives. Everyone needs to prepare for the future, not just focus on the comfort of the present. Only if you are diligent and hardworking now, you will not suffer in the future.
I hope you will remember this story and not be a lazy ‘bird’ like the chilly bird, but a ‘good boy’ like the magpie who knows how to plan and work hard.
