HOW THE KIND BEETLE GOT HER COAT

Told by: Felix Pitre

Puerto Rican Keeper of Stories

In the lush green jungle of old, a slow gray beetle walked across the ground. She was minding her own business when she ran into a wild gray rat. The rat was very fast and mean. He stood up on his hind legs and said, "Look at you, you old beetle. You are so slow. Don't you wish you could be fast like me?" The rat liked to make fun of the slow beetle.

The mild little beetle did not wish to fight with the rat. She just nodded, and she did not tell him about the many things she could do if she wanted.

A wise parrot in a tree could hear the wild rat and the quiet beetle. After a while the parrot said to himself, "I just bet that beetle has some trick up her sleeve. What might it be?"

"We should have a race to find out which one of you is really the fastest," the parrot called down. "To the winner I will give a beautiful coat made of some of my feathers."

The gray rat and the gray beetle agreed. A coat of so many beautiful shades or red, yellow, and green would be fine indeed!

The parrot said they could race from his tree to the old stump deep in the jungle.

When the parrot yelled "GO!" the rat pumped his thick hind legs and ran and ran. He was fast, but he reached the stump only to find that the kind beetle was there.

"How did you win?" asked the rat.

"I used my wings," said the beetle as she tucked them away. "You see, I can go very fast when I have a mind to do it."

That is why today beetles have beautiful coats and wild rats are still dull and gray.

<>THE END<>