100个儿童英语小故事: The Darning Needle 织补针（在线收听）

044 The Darning Needle

Long ago, there was a needle. She thought she was so delicate that she was appropriate only for embroidery. "Hold me tight. I am so tiny that you can't find me if I fall on the floor." The needle shouted at the fingers.

"What an arrogant needle!" The thumb talked to the needle bluntly. "You know you can't embroider without me, so be careful!" The needle was still arrogant.

The fingers brought the needle to the cook's shoes. His shoes were worn-out, and they needed to be sewed. "Yeck! Oh no! I don't want to sew this dirty pair of slippers. I will break because I am so delicate and sensitive." The needle broke in pieces.

Once the needle broke, it was not useful any more. The fingers threw the needle into a dishpan. The needle cried out when she was swept away along with the dirty water. "I am too weak to live in this harsh and tough world."

She arrived at a pile of garbage after floating around. Then, she found something sparkling among the garbage. "What is this? Are you a diamond?" But it was a piece of broken glass bottle.

The piece of glass bottle and the needle thought they were very important. "I used to embroider, but the five finger brothers broke me into pieces like this." "I was very rich. I could have anything that I wanted like Juice, apple jam and even chocolate. Anything! But the evil five finger brothers broke me into pieces like this." They treated each other with respect as if they were real brothers.

One day, the finger brothers showed up in the sewer. The kids were searching for a coin and were swinging their hands in the water. "Ouch!" One boy cried out in pain. He got his hand pricked by the needle. "What is this? A needle!"

He pulled out the needle from his finger. He was very angry at the needle and threw her into the fireplace. "Ouch. This is too hot!" Her body slowly began to melt away.

"Why do they keep torturing a weak and small needle like me?" The needle cried sadly. Then the fireplace heard the needle's crying and said,

"Don't be sad, little needle. You have done your job very well. Anyone, who has completed his duty, is supposed to turn back into soil. You worked so hard your own body broke into pieces. That's good enough. Now, take a deep and peaceful rest." After she heard what the fireplace said, the needle closed her eyes quietly.