The Boy and the Grapes

Once there was a young Chinese boy. He saw a jar of frozen grapes in a beautiful vase on the table and mused to himself, "Soon my brothers and sisters will be home, and they will wish to have some grapes too. Since there are so few left, I might not get very. I'd better eat them now while they're still here." And so with that, he reached into the bowl with every intention of of pulling out a huge handful. But, as the neck of the jar was small, and his hand was clenched in a fist, it would not fit. "Oh well," he muttered, "I'll just have to pull harder!" So he seized the bottom of the vase and jerked with all his might. But, just as he thought he had it, the expensive vase slipped from his grasp, flew across the room, and hit the floor with a resounding crash! The vase shattered, and the precious grapes rolled across the floor, collecting dust as they went, out the open door, and into a crack in the sidewalk, never to be seen again. The boy, ashamed, went outside to contemplate his mistakes and its consequences. "Maybe if I hadn't been so greedy, this would have never happened. What will Mother say?!"