There was a great storm : thunder and lightning and sheets of blinding rain. Trees were crashing down all over. A worried porcupine looked everywhere for shelter. He had almost resigned himself to being flattened out by the storm when by great good fortune he saw a little cave in the distance. “I hope if I go there I will be safe and will be able to dry of,” he thought.
He hurried along to the cave. But it was the home of a family of snakes. The porcupine begged to be allowed to join them and share the cave. The snakes kindly consented, and the porcupine moved in.
He took up a great deal of room; however, and the snakes found his quills very uncomfortable. They poked and pricked the snakes, so that they were quite badly hurt. The snakes did not want to be inhospitable and they bore with being punctured by the porcupine’s quills as long as they could. But when they could stand it no longer, they politely asked the porcupine to leave the cave.
“Certainly not!” said the porcupine rattling his quills fiercely, and sticking out in all directions. “This is my house now, and I’m very comfortable indeed, thank you very much. If anybody has to leave, it surely won’t be I.”
“But it’s our cave,” said the snakes. “Please go.”
“No,” said the porcupine with finality. “If you don’t like it here go away yourselves.”
And the poor snake, along with his family, was forced to leave the cave where they had resided for so many years.
Moral of the story:- Thoughtless hospitality may cause you much distress.
