King Of The Jungle Short Story

This is a short story about the King of the Jungle, the Lion, and the Gnat, and is based in Africa. Africa is known for its variety of animals and dense forests. Its climates are severe and its summers’ are extremely hot.

At the end of a hot summer day in Africa, the animals were getting ready to settle for the night.

On a tiny blade of grass, a Gnat was making his hammock for the night. Gnats, like mosquitoes, need the blood of warm blooded animals to survive.

It was a warm night even for the Gnat, and he decided to go to sleep. No sooner he closed his eyes, he was fast asleep. The night soon became darker and a bit cooler, and it was interrupted by a load roarrrr...somewhere, far away in the depths of the forest.

All the animals woke

Don’t you know I am the King of the jungle? I can do what I wish, and eat whom I want. I do what I want, and go where I please. I say what I like and no one can question my authority. Simply because I AM THE KING OF THE FOREST.” And the lion roared again.

“Oh, will you shut up for a while,” said the Gnat. “At least while we are conversing. It is difficult to talk with an imbecile, who keeps roaring in the middle of a conversation.”

The Gnat further added, “What make you think that you are the King of the jungle.” Has someone elected you? Just tell me that!”

By now, the Lion was losing his temper fast. He was angry that a tiny insect questioned his authority.

He told the Gnat, “I don’t need to prove to anyone. Everyone acknowledges that I am the King of the jungle, and are scared of me.”

The Gnat laughed and said, “I am not scared and so I do not need to regard you as King? And so, you don’t have the right to be the King of the jungle.”

The Lion by now was furious and shouting. “You deny me the right to be King? YOU little insect!”

“That’s right, and you can never be King, until you have defeated me”, said the Gnat.

The Lion laughed so loudly, as he couldn’t believe him fighting a small animal, let alone an insignificant, tiny Gnat.

The Lion wasn’t certain whether the Gnat had invited him for a

“Please come out of my nose, my poor nose. I agree that you are the King. Please don’t hurt my nose anymore,” begged and cried the Lion.

So, finally the Gnat flew out of the King’s nose and returned to his grass, all pleased and proud. While the Lion quietly slipped to the depths of the jungle, humbled and humiliated by a tiny Gnat!

“I should have been the King a long time ago,” exclaimed the proud Gnat. I am so smart, clever, brave and handsome…..

While gloating about his new conquest, the wind had blown the glass blade close to the ground. At once, a Spider, spotting the Gnat had caught the blade of grass, and with it the new victor. The more he struggled to get out of the Spider’s web, the more knotted he became. Then, the Spider noticing the Gnat, slowly came crawling and swallowed the Gnat. That was the end of the proud Gnat!

In short, a strong proud Lion had been overcome by a clever, even more proud Gnat.

And a clever and proud Gnat, which had beaten the huge Lion finally ended up as supper in a Spider’s web.

Moral:

Pride always comes before a