There once was a teaspoon...
Illustration
Object:
There once was a teaspoon and a ladle that lay side-by-side in the kitchen drawer. The
ladle looked down his long nose at the teaspoon.
"What good are you?" he asked. "You're too little to be of any value."
"I can stir my master's coffee, and scoop sugar into his tea," the teaspoon replied.
"Ha," scoffed the ladle. "Those are little jobs I wouldn't stoop to do. I bring piping hot mouthfuls of soup from a big kettle to my master's bowl. You would drown in the soup."
One day there was a jar of jam on the counter. The ladle was bragging as usual. The teaspoon said, "I can do something you can't."
"No, way," roared the ladle. "I am better than you in everything."
"See that jam on the counter? Watch this." With that, the little spoon hopped across the counter, jumped up on the jar, stuck his head way down into the jam, and brought up a whole spoonful of jam. She tapped it neatly into a dish sitting beside the jar.
"You can't do that," she challenged the ladle.
"That's easy," boasted the ladle. With one great leap he bound across the counter, sprang up onto the jar and tried to put his head into the jar. It didn't fit. He twisted. He squeezed. He pushed. It didn't fit.
"Told you," said the teaspoon.
"I'm just getting warmed up," murmured the ladle. He tried again. After many contortions, he managed to get his head into the jar. He grabbed a big spoonful, but now he couldn't get his head out. He was stuck.
That night, when the master came home, she looked at the ladle inside the jam jar. She tried but couldn't get the ladle out. I wonder how it got in there, she thought. Then, since there wasn't much jam left, and the ladle was very old, she tossed them both into the garbage.
All who exalt themselves will be humbled!
"What good are you?" he asked. "You're too little to be of any value."
"I can stir my master's coffee, and scoop sugar into his tea," the teaspoon replied.
"Ha," scoffed the ladle. "Those are little jobs I wouldn't stoop to do. I bring piping hot mouthfuls of soup from a big kettle to my master's bowl. You would drown in the soup."
One day there was a jar of jam on the counter. The ladle was bragging as usual. The teaspoon said, "I can do something you can't."
"No, way," roared the ladle. "I am better than you in everything."
"See that jam on the counter? Watch this." With that, the little spoon hopped across the counter, jumped up on the jar, stuck his head way down into the jam, and brought up a whole spoonful of jam. She tapped it neatly into a dish sitting beside the jar.
"You can't do that," she challenged the ladle.
"That's easy," boasted the ladle. With one great leap he bound across the counter, sprang up onto the jar and tried to put his head into the jar. It didn't fit. He twisted. He squeezed. He pushed. It didn't fit.
"Told you," said the teaspoon.
"I'm just getting warmed up," murmured the ladle. He tried again. After many contortions, he managed to get his head into the jar. He grabbed a big spoonful, but now he couldn't get his head out. He was stuck.
That night, when the master came home, she looked at the ladle inside the jam jar. She tried but couldn't get the ladle out. I wonder how it got in there, she thought. Then, since there wasn't much jam left, and the ladle was very old, she tossed them both into the garbage.
All who exalt themselves will be humbled!
