Chapter I - An independent life since early childhood; a prank that costed dearly (Part 2)

Whenever I started shouting, my neighbors would remain silent; probably not so much because they were afraid to answer back, but because they were of a peaceable disposition. Clearly, I had grown too big for my britches. Young people are often like that: bragging is for them a sign of talent! When I bullied some timid grasshoppers or a water spider who had strayed from his native pond, I believed myself a real hero.

Alas, I didn’t know that one would have to pay dearly for such foolish bluster. Unconsciously, I
was doing myself a serious disservice. Later, I would many time narrowly escape death. My heart would then be filled with remorse. But remorse was not of much help in setting things right again. This was how the first mishap came about:

Near my place lived a small cricket about my age, whom I named Choat (which means tiny). He was born very weak, so I rather looked down on him. And he was truly afraid of me! Thin and pale like an opium-addict, he had ridiculously short wings that made him look as though a waistcoat was his
only clothing. His hind-legs were thick and utterly inelegant. In addition to all that, he had ludicrous stumps in place of antennae and the dazed look of a hopeless country bumpkin! Because of his poor health, he was not the sort of fellow who could undertake serious projects: his hole was shallow and
had no emergency exits like mine.

One day I paid him a Visit. After having a look at his shabby home, I reproached him: "What a careless and slovenly way of living! What a home to live in! Suppose an enemy comes, you will have nowhere to escape! Look, every time you move in your hole, your back will show up through the
ceiling. Anyone standing nearby can tell where you are. What if a falcon mistakes you for prey? My poor chap, you are no longer a child, yet you lack the wisdom of maturity!”

Choat answered in a sad voice, ”Big Brother, I surely want to be like you, but I can’t. I am too weak for even the simplest kind of work, so how can I build myself a decent home? I know it is dangerous to live in such a shallow hole, but I don’t have the strength to improve it. I have been thinking hard
about this but still I don’t know what to do, except for one possibility... But, I dare not speak of it to you...”

I said, "Just tell me what is on your mind. You may speak freely.”

The mole-cricket answered timidly, ”Big Brother, as you have deigned to take pity on me, I think you wouldn’t mind helping me dig a gallery linking my hole to yours. I can thus escape to your place in case of danger...”

Baring my teeth I snarled in a condescending way, ”What! A gallery linking my place to yours? How could I stand it? You smell as bad as an owl. Now, stop it! It’s no use whimpering. It serves you right
for being such a lazy fellow.” I went back to my place and paid no more attention to my unfortunate
neighbour.

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