On a warm summer day, a tiny ant named Andy walked through the forest. He wore his blue work apron and boots. "La la la!" sang a happy voice. Andy saw his friend Gary the grasshopper dancing in a red vest. Gary played music on a leaf. "Come dance with me!" said Gary. "The sun is warm and the day is long!" Andy looked at the leaves falling from the trees. He knew winter would come soon. "I need to get food for winter," said Andy. "Would you like to help me?"
Andy smiled at Gary. The music did sound fun! "Ok, I will dance for a little while," said Andy. Andy took off his work apron and danced with Gary. The music from the leaf was sweet. They spun and jumped in the warm sun. A red ladybug in a yellow scarf saw them dancing. "What fun!" she said. "But look at all these nuts and seeds on the ground. Winter is coming soon." The ladybug was right. Many leaves were falling now. The air felt a bit cooler.
Andy kept dancing and spinning with Gary. The music from the leaf filled the forest with happy sounds. "This is so much fun!" said Andy, twirling around. More forest friends came to watch. A black beetle in a green cap tapped his feet to the music. But as they danced, the sun began to set. The air grew chilly. More leaves fell from the trees. "Maybe we should gather some food now," said the ladybug in her yellow scarf. "The days are getting shorter." Gary played his leaf music even louder. "Why worry? There's still time!" Andy felt torn. The dancing was fun, but he could see many other ants carrying food to their homes. Dark clouds were starting to gather in the sky.
Andy decided to keep dancing. The music was too wonderful to stop! "One more dance!" he said to Gary. They spun and jumped as the sun sank lower. The beetle in his green cap clapped along. The ladybug shook her head and flew away to gather food. Soon the sky turned orange and pink. The forest grew darker. A cool breeze made Andy shiver. "Oh my!" said Andy. "It's getting late. I haven't gathered any food today!" Gary put down his leaf. "That was fun! Same time tomorrow?" But Andy saw dark clouds rolling in. The wind was getting stronger. Other ants were hurrying home with the last bits of food they could find. The beetle in the green cap pointed up at the sky. "Looks like rain is coming. And it feels like winter isn't far behind!"
Thunder boomed in the sky. Cold rain began to fall. "Oh no!" said Gary. "My leaf music is getting wet!" Andy looked at his empty hands. He had no food saved for winter. The rain fell harder and the wind grew colder. But then, the ladybug in her yellow scarf came back. The beetle in his green cap was with her. "We saved extra food," said the ladybug. "We can share." "And my home is warm and dry," said the beetle. "You can both stay until the storm passes." Andy and Gary looked at each other. They were wet and cold, but grateful for such kind friends. "Thank you," they said together. That winter, Andy and Gary helped their friends clean and fix their home. They learned that work and play were both important. When spring came again, Andy gathered food in the morning and danced with Gary in the afternoon. And the forest was filled with the sounds of happy music and busy workers, all living together in harmony. The end.
