Stu
pid Groundhogs – A Tale of Misadventures Once upon a time, there lived a group of groundhogs in a burrow in the middle of a vast meadow. They were called ‘stupid’ by the humans who passed by because they had a knack for doing silly things that often ended up in disaster. One day, the leader of the group, a short-sighted groundhog named Gopher, decided to venture out of the burrow to look for food. He crawled out of his hole, and without looking, walked straight into a patch of thorny bushes. His friends tried to warn him, but before they could say anything, he was already yelping in pain and running back to the burrow with scratches all over his face. The other groundhogs shook their heads in exasperation and decided to take matters into their own ‘hands.’ They formed a plan and set out to collect food from nearby gardens and fields. They had barely begun when they encountered yet another problem. A group of curious humans spotted them and mistook them for pests. They started to chase them with nets and sticks, and the groundhogs had to run for their lives. Finally, after a long and tiring day, they managed to get some food and returned to their burrow. However, their troubles were far from over. As they began to munch on the fresh greens, they heard a loud rumbling sound. Suddenly, the ground shook, and they felt trapped. It turned out that the farmer nearby had decided to plow his field, and the groundhogs' only escape route was blocked. The groundhogs huddled together, wondering what to do. They had no idea how to get out, and their burrow was the only place they could call home. Just as they were about to give up hope, they noticed a small hole that led to a nearby stream. They knew it was a risky move, but they had no other choice. One by one, they squeezed through the narrow hole and swam across the stream to safety. As they lay panting and exhausted on the other side, they realized that they had made it through yet another adventure. They knew they were not the brightest animals in the meadow, but they also knew that they had each other and that was all that mattered. From that day on, whenever the humans called them ‘stupid groundhogs,’ they would just grin and nod their heads knowingly. After all, they had survived all kinds of dangers that they had managed to get themselves into, and that was no small feat. In conclusion, the story teaches us that sometimes the smallest, most vulnerable creatures can surprise us with their resilience and courage. And to all those who call them ‘stupid,’ well, they may not be the sharpest tools in the shed, but they are definitely survivors.