The Horse and the Mosquito

It was a bright, quiet afternoon in a wide-open green field. A large, powerful horse was grazing peacefully, moving slowly from one patch of sweet grass to the next. He was a magnificent animalh is coat was shiny, his muscles were thick, and his tail flicked lazily to keep the heat away. He was so focused on his meal that he didn’t even notice when a tiny, buzzing mosquito flew down from the nearby woods and landed right in the middle of his broad back.

The mosquito sat there for a moment, waiting for a reaction. He expected the horse to jump or at least twitch his skin in fear. But the horse didn’t move an inch. Feeling ignored and a bit insulted, the mosquito puffed out his tiny chest and shouted as loud as he could, "Hey! Big guy! Do you even know I'm standing here?"

The horse stopped chewing for a second and let out a soft, deep chuckle that vibrated through his whole body. "I do now," the horse replied calmly, without even turning his head. "You’re just so tiny, little friend. I honestly didn’t feel a thing when you landed."

The mosquito didn't like being called tiny. He flew up and hovered right in front of the horse’s large, dark eyes. He looked the horse over taking in the heavy hooves that could crush a stone, the thick neck, and the powerful legs. It was an impressive sight, but instead of being scared, the mosquito felt a strange need to prove himself.

"You really are huge," the mosquito remarked, trying to sound unimpressed.

"True," the horse said, going back to his grass. "I’m definitely not small."

"So, I’m much smaller than you, right?" the mosquito asked, testing him.

"Yes, a lot smaller. Probably the smallest thing I’ve seen all day," the horse answered.

"But are you actually strong?"

"I am," the horse said simply.

"Stronger than a common housefly?"

"Yes."

"What about a horsefly? They have a nasty bite."

"Of course I am," the horse replied, still sounding bored.

Hearing this, the mosquito’s ego started to grow. He had a sudden, foolish thought: Sure, he’s big, but there are thousands of us back in the swamp. If we all attacked at once, his size wouldn't mean a thing. We could actually take him down.

The mosquito puffed himself up even more. "Listen, it doesn't matter how big you are. We mosquitoes are actually stronger than you. You think you're tough, but you couldn't handle us if we came in a crowd. We would overwhelm you in seconds."

The horse stayed completely calm. "No, you won't win. Size isn't everything, but neither is numbers when you're that small."

"Yes, we will!" the mosquito snapped, his high-pitched buzz getting louder.

"No."

"Yes!"

They went back and forth like this for several minutes. Finally, the horse realized that arguing with a mosquito was a waste of time. "Look," the horse said, "there’s no point in shouting. Let’s just see who actually wins. Go get your friends."

"Fine by me!" the mosquito agreed, and he zoomed off toward the riverbank.

The mosquito began screaming at the top of his lungs, calling every relative, friend, and neighbor he had. "It’s war! Come on, everyone! Today, we prove our power! Today, we take down the giant horse!"

Before long, a literal black cloud of mosquitoes swarmed out of the woods and the stagnant ditches near the river. There were thousands, maybe millions of them. They descended on the horse like a heavy blanket, covering every single inch of his body his back, his neck, his legs, and even his ears.

"Is everyone here?" the horse asked, muffled by the swarm.

"Yes, everyone is ready," the lead mosquito shouted from a safe distance.

"Is everyone holding on tight?"

The mosquito checked the swarm. "Yes, we’re all in position. You're finished!"

"Then tell them to hold on even tighter," the horse said.

In one quick motion, the horse dropped to the ground. He didn't run; he didn't kick. He simply began to roll. He threw his massive weight from side to side, grinding his body hard against the dry dirt and grass. Within seconds, the entire swarm was crushed underneath him. The "mighty army" was gone.

Only two survived. One was the loudmouth who had started the whole fight—he had stayed safely perched on a high tree branch to "supervise." The other was a tiny mosquito who managed to fly away just in time, though he left with a broken wing and a very valuable lesson.

The Lesson

In life, there are many people just like that first mosquito. They talk big, stir up trouble, and push others into fights they can't win. But the moment things get dangerous, they are the first ones to run and hide in a safe spot, leaving everyone else to deal with the mess they created.