The Boy, his Father, and the Locust

A boy caught a locust in a box and showed it to his father.

"Let me see," said the father, so the boy carefully opened the box, took the locust, and placed it in his father's hands.

But the father was careless; he opened his hands, and the locust flew away.

"Bring back my locust!" shouted the boy. "Don't come home without it; otherwise, I will kill you."

Knowing his son spoke the truth, the father pursued the locust, but it was always just out of reach. The father pursued the locust forever, not daring to return home without it.

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Inspired by: "The Wood Pigeon and the Locust" in Folklore of the Banyanja (published in Folklore) by Madeleine Holland, 1916.
Notes: You can read the original story online. This is a continuation of The Boy and His Bird.

Locust by Charles J. Sharp at Wikimedia