A group of cockroaches lived in a garbage bin outside a five-star hotel. They were leading a happy life, feasting on a variety of tasty food discarded from the hotel’s kitchen. They were growing fatter by the day.
Cockroaches love to eat. In fact, there may be no other creature as gluttonous as the cockroach. It can eat almost anything—from decaying plants and dead wood to sweets, meat, vegetables and rice. Because of this unique quality, cockroaches have been able to outlive dinosaurs and may even outlive humans.
Mojo, one of the cockroaches that lived outside the hotel, was the fattest. He dreamed of entering the hotel and living a life of luxury—eating fresh food and partying like the humans.
One day, Mojo was looking into the hotel from the window as usual when Rojo came up to him and said, “Mojo, stop dreaming about entering the hotel. This is a five-star hotel. Cockroaches are not allowed inside!”
“I know that. But no one can stop me from entering it. You just wait and watch,” said Mojo stubbornly.
“Mojo, this is for your own good. You have no idea how scared humans are of cockroaches. They worry about us spreading diseases. So, they use insect sprays to kill us,” said Rojo.
“Don’t worry, Rojo. Nothing will happen to me. I am too smart for the humans,” said Mojo confidently.
Right then, an employee of the hotel came out and emptied the garbage bin. On seeing this, Mojo and the other cockroaches hungrily jumped on the pile of discarded food to eat it.
After that day, Mojo began looking for ways to enter the hotel. One day, Mojo noticed an opening in the ground. He entered it and realised he was inside a water pipe that led directly into the hotel. He eagerly walked along the pipe. After walking a short distance, Mojo succeeded in reaching the hotel’s restroom.
As soon as he was inside the hotel, Mojo screamed and danced happily on the toilet seat in the restroom. He felt like he had won a lottery.
That day on, Mojo would hide in a dark corner and sleep all day. At night, he would come out of his hiding spot and enjoy the parties, dance and eat all the fresh, delicious food.
After two months inside the hotel, Mojo missed his friends. So, he decided to pay them a visit. Mojo wore a suit and went outside through the water pipe to meet them.
All the cockroaches were surprised to see him.
“Hey, Mojo! You look great! Where have you been all these days? Have you been roaming around the city?” asked Rojo.
“What will I do roaming around the city in this heat? I have been living comfortably inside the hotel. I missed all of you and so, I came to see you,” replied Mojo.
“What? Have you been living inside the five-star hotel? Didn’t the humans chase you out?” asked another cockroach surprised.
“Humans are not that sharp. I’m having so much fun hiding right under their noses. They have no idea of all the mischief I have been up to. I am clever, aren’t I?” said Mojo proudly.
“Yes, you indeed are. But tell us, what have you been eating and doing inside?” asked another cockroach. They were all curious.
“You have no idea of the variety of food I get inside. I eat fresh fruits, cakes, pastries, ice creams and vegetables. I also enjoy listening to good music and dancing during their parties,” said Mojo.
“Wow! You must take us with you when you go in again. We are all fed up of staying in this smelly garbage bin. We also want to live a comfortable life like you,” said all the cockroaches.
Mojo thought about it and said, “Okay. I will take you inside the hotel but under one condition—you have to accept me as your leader.”
“That’s no big deal. From this moment onwards, you are our leader. Now, lead us into the hotel,” they said.
Rojo was not happy about the plan. He was worried for his friends’ safety. He tried to make them understand.
“Friends, please listen to me. Don’t go inside the hotel. If the humans see you, they will kill you,” reasoned Rojo.
“Rojo, you are just jealous of Mojo because he lives a life of luxury and that we made him our leader. You can stay here if you want, but we are going,” said the other cockroaches.
“Do as you wish. As your friend, it is my duty to caution you,” said Rojo.
Mojo waited till it became dark and then said, “Friends, now is the right time to enter. Nobody will see us. Just follow me.”
He led the other cockroaches through the water pipe and into the hotel. Once they were inside, the cockroaches were elated!
“Wow! Imagine the kind of food we will get to eat hereafter!” they said.
Mojo was proud that as their leader, he was the one to have led them into the hotel. He too celebrated with them.
Soon, the big group of cockroaches became hungry. They found lots of food laid out on a table. They swarmed it and started feasting on it.
The humans got scared on seeing so many cockroaches. They started screaming for help.
The manager of the hotel rushed to the spot. “This has never happened before. We’ll quickly kill all the cockroaches and clear the place. Please do not worry,” he assured the guests.
Since the cockroaches were busy eating the delicious food, they were unaware of the danger that lay in store for them. The employees sprayed an insect-repellent on the cockroaches.
Immediately, the spray started to take effect. The cockroaches began to feel giddy and started swaying.
“What is happening? Are we dying?” they panicked. “We shouldn’t have come here at all. We only came because Mojo lured us into the hotel. See what our greediness has cost us. We should have listened to Rojo.”
“Why are you blaming me?” snapped Mojo. “You asked me to take you inside the hotel. Because of you all, even I have been exposed.”
The cockroaches were struggling to breathe.
“My head is spinning.”
“I can’t see clearly!”
“I need fresh air!”
After all the cockroaches became unconscious, the employees swept them into a bag and threw them out into the garbage bin.
Rojo was shocked to see his friends lying unconscious in the garbage bin. He rushed to check on them. He tried to revive them up by shaking their heads and legs. One by one, the cockroaches woke up.
As soon as he saw Rojo, Mojo started crying. “Oh, Rojo! I should have listened to you. Instead, I took others with me into the hotel and put their life in danger. Please forgive me. I will not do anything foolish again,” he said.
“I hope you have learnt that we all have our own place. The dustbin is ours, while the hotel belongs to the humans,” said Rojo.
That day on, the cockroaches did not complain about their life. They were happy to look at the hotel from the outside.
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