The Unteachable Monkey

On a cold winter evening, a troop of monkeys found a firefly glowing among dry leaves.

“A spark!” cried one monkey. They piled grass around it and blew until their cheeks puffed, but no warmth came.

Needle-Face, a small bird with a long beak, called from a branch, “That is a firefly, not fire. Look for dry wood and a real ember.”

The coldest monkey did not listen. “It shines, so it must be fire,” he insisted.

Needle-Face repeated her warning. The monkey became annoyed, and she wisely flew to a higher branch instead of arguing closer.

All night the monkeys blew at the harmless insect. By dawn they were still cold and exhausted. The firefly calmly flew away.

Needle-Face returned with a shepherd who showed them a safe ember inside a ring of stones. It warmed the wood, while the firefly’s light had warmed nothing.

The stubborn monkey finally looked carefully. “I wanted my first idea to be true,” he admitted, “so I stopped listening.”

The troop thanked Needle-Face and gathered proper fuel. From then on they tested what they believed and welcomed patient advice.