One day Ant found a Man with a sore that had scabbed over. "I can remove that scab if I'm careful," thought Ant, and he nibbled so gently the Man didn't even notice. Then Ant dragged the scab away.
"Where did you get that meat?" Gadfly asked.
"From a Man," said Ant.
"Could I get meat from the Man?" asked Gadfly.
"You can try," said Ant.
But when Gadfly bit the Man, the Man slapped Gadfly and killed him.
Ant laughed. "I am skillful and polite," he said, "unlike Gadfly."
Even now, gadflies keep biting people and keep getting slapped.
Inspired by: "Ant and Gadly" in Umbundu: Folk Tales from Angola by Merlin Ennis, 1962.
Notes: You can read the original story online.
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