Leo’s Lost Treasure ~ short Stories

A sad young ant with large expressive eyes sitting alone beside a small pile of shiny treasures—a blue bead, a silver candy wrapper, and a golden sprinkle. Behind him, a large anthill with a round, sparkling Christmas ornament wedged tightly into the entrance, trapping other tiny ants visible through a small gap. Sunset lighting, warm orange and dark blue sky. Illustrative style, soft and emotional, suitable for a children's story thumbnail. No text.

There was this ant named Leo who lived in a busy ant colony under an old oak tree. All the other ants worked together. Were really happy but Leo was different. He had a secret: he loved to collect things just for himself.

Leo had a hiding spot behind a loose rock near his home where he kept all his favorite things. He had a silver wrapper, a blue bead that looked like a tiny piece of the ocean and a golden sprinkle from a big donut. While the other ants were working together to bring food back to the colony Leo was out searching for things to add to his collection. He would say to himself "Why should I share these things with anyone? They are mine, all mine."

The other ants started to notice that Leo was not helping out much as he used to. His friend Fiona said, "Leo never helps us anymore.". Leo did not care. He was too busy thinking about his things.

One day Leo found something amazing. A beautiful Christmas ornament that had fallen on the ground. It was round and sparkly like a star. Leo was so excited to add it to his collection. He said, "Mine!". He pushed and pushed until the ornament started to roll.. Then it got stuck in the entrance of the ant colony.

This caused a problem. The ants were trapped inside. They could not get out. The baby ants were. The worker ants could not get to the food. The Queen Ant came out. She was very upset. She said, "Who did this to us?"

Leo felt terrible. He realized that his greed had hurt the people he cared about. He had not just taken things from strangers he had hurt his family and friends.

As the sun started to set Leo sat alone with his collection. He realized that all the things he had been collecting were not making him happy. The silver wrapper could not feed an ant and the blue bead could not keep a cold ant warm. For the time Leo understood that all his treasures were not worth anything. They were actually holding him back.

Leo started to cry. He felt sorry for what he had done. He. Pushed against the ornament until it finally moved. The ants were able to get out of the colony. They were all very relieved.

That night Leo took all his treasures. He put them in the common pile. He said to the Queen Ant "I am sorry. I was selfish. I almost lost everything that matters to me."

The Queen Ant was kind to Leo. She said, "When one ant is greedy it can hurt everyone.. When ants are kind to each other it can make everything better." She welcomed Leo back to the colony. Leo felt happy to be home.

That night Leo slept with his friends. He felt like he belonged. He did not have to guard his treasures. He had learned that being kind and sharing with others was more important, than having a lot of things.

The moral of the story is that greed can promise you a lot but it is kindness that will give you a home.

1. Why did Leo stop helping the ants?

Answer: Leo stopped helping because he got too greedy. He was busy looking for things to keep for himself. He didn't care about working with his colony

2. What happened when Leo pushed the Christmas ornament toward the nest?

Answer: The ornament. Got stuck. It blocked the tunnel. The colony was trapped. The babies cried. The workers couldn't get food. Everyone was scared.

3. How did Leo feel when he saw his family trapped because of his greed?

Answer: Leo felt bad. He felt sad. He felt sorry. He saw that his treasures didn't help anyone. They didn't feed his babies. He understood that being greedy hurts the people he loves.

4. What did Leo do to fix his mistake?

Answer: Leo pushed the ornament away. He moved it with all his strength. Then he took his things. A wrapper, a bead and a sprinkle. To the pile. He said sorry to the Queen and his colony.

5. What is the moral of the story?

Answer: The moral is: Being greedy doesn't make you happy. Sharing with others does. Having things alone isn't the best. Being, with others and sharing is the treasure. Greed may fill your hiding place. Kindness fills your home.

6. What would you have done if you were Leo’s friend Fiona?

Answer: (Open-ended)

Sample answer: I would have asked Leo what was wrong. I would have told him we missed him. If he didn't listen I would have told the Queen. The colony could have helped him before things got bad.