Greed, like all negative feelings, always makes us make very serious mistakes. In this story, I want to show you a brief example. I hope you like it.
In the quiet forest of Oak Grove, the animals always prepared for winter by gathering food together. Among them lived Tina, a squirrel known for her ability to gather nuts quickly, but also for her great defect: greed. Tina only thought about accumulating as many nuts as possible for herself, without considering the needs of others.
As autumn progressed, all the animals in the forest worked hard. Rita, the flying squirrel, shared her nuts with the others, remembering that teamwork is the key to survival. Omar, the field mouse, collected nuts for his large family, but always left some for others to find. Paco, the woodpecker, hid nuts in the cracks of the trees and shared with those who could not gather as much. Felix the mole helped everyone store their supplies in safe underground tunnels.
Tina, on the other hand, was determined to keep all the nuts she found. She ignored her friends when they asked her to share and laughed at them for not being so «forward-thinking.» She kept each nut in a secret hiding place, convinced that the more nuts she had, the safer she would be during the winter.
Winter came with an unexpected and fierce snowstorm. Temperatures dropped so low that the trees were covered in ice, and the remaining nuts froze. The forest animals, accustomed to sharing, began to share what they had, but soon supplies began to run low. Rita, Omar, Paco, and Felix realized that they would need more food to survive.
Desperate, they decided to ask Tina for help, knowing that she had collected many nuts. However, when asked to share, Tina flatly refused, arguing that she had worked hard to collect them and needed to ensure her own survival. The other animals were disappointed, but had no choice but to continue searching for food.
As the weeks passed, the situation became critical. Supplies ran out, and some animals began to fall ill from the cold and lack of food. Omar and his family, especially, suffered greatly. Paco could no longer find any more nuts, and Felix ran out of options underground. Meanwhile, Tina kept herself well fed in her hiding place, but she began to feel lonely. She could hear the other animals outside, suffering and desperately searching for food.
One night, as she listened to their cries, Tina realized the gravity of the situation. Although she had enough nuts for herself, she began to understand the impact of her greed. She felt a surge of guilt and decided to go out and talk to her friends. When she saw them, she noticed how weak and sad they were. Rita looked at her sadly, Omar had no strength to greet her, Paco was desperately searching for food, and Felix, normally cheerful, was dejected.
With tears in her eyes, Tina confessed her mistake and showed them her secret hiding place full of nuts. She invited everyone to share her provisions. Despite the suffering caused, the animals forgave her, understanding that Tina had learned a valuable lesson. Together, they carried Tina’s nuts to the center of the forest and shared them equally.
Thanks to Tina’s belated generosity, the animals managed to survive until spring. Tina learned that true wealth is not in hoarding, but in sharing and caring for others. From that day on, she became a generous squirrel, known not only for being fast at collecting nuts, but for having a big heart.
Winter ended and the forest blossomed again, and Tina, together with her friends, celebrated the arrival of spring with a big party. I had learned that greed only leads to loneliness, but generosity brings joy and lasting friendship.