It was a bright summer morning in the small countryside village of Phum Krosang. Birds chirped joyfully in the trees, and the air smelled of ripe mangoes and freshly cut grass. But in one quiet house on the edge of the village, not everything was peaceful.
Inside, Mama Lina stood in the doorway, hands on her hips, staring at her son CUTIS, who lay sprawled across a bamboo bed, snoring loudly. The rooster had crowed hours ago, the sun was already high, and still, he hadn’t moved an inch.
“CUTIS!” she called, her voice sharp as a whistle. “It’s almost noon! The cows haven’t been fed, the field needs watering, and you’re still sleeping like a baby monkey!”
CUTIS stirred, grumbling, “Just five more minutes, Mom…” He rolled over, pulling the blanket over his head.
“Five more minutes?” Mama Lina’s eyebrows shot up. “I’ve been hearing that since sunrise! You’re turning into a lazy son — just like those spoiled monkeys in the forest!”
At that moment, CUTIS’s baby monkey companion, Mimi, peeked through the window, holding a piece of banana and watching curiously. She squeaked softly, as if laughing at the comparison.
Mama Lina sighed deeply. “Enough is enough,” she said to herself. “If words won’t wake him, maybe a lesson will.”
She stepped outside, thinking. CUTIS was a good-hearted boy — kind to animals, gentle with everyone — but he had one great weakness: laziness. Whenever there was work to be done, he found an excuse to avoid it. And now, with the planting season approaching, that habit had to change.
A mischievous plan began to form in Mama Lina’s mind.
That afternoon, CUTIS finally woke up, stretching and yawning as if he’d done a full day’s work. Mimi jumped onto his shoulder, squeaking happily. “Hey, little one,” CUTIS said lazily. “Guess we missed breakfast again.”
He wandered toward the kitchen, expecting to find food waiting — but the table was empty. No rice, no soup, nothing. “Mom?” he called. “Where’s lunch?”
From outside came Mama Lina’s cheerful voice. “Lunch? Oh, the rice cooker’s broken. You’ll have to go get food from the field.”
CUTIS frowned. “From the field? What does that even mean?”
But when he looked out the window, he saw it — a basket sitting on the far end of the field, covered with a cloth. “She actually left lunch out there?” he muttered. “Why not just bring it in?”
Still half-asleep, he grabbed his hat and trudged outside with Mimi riding on his shoulder. The field was wide, the sun blazing hot, and every step felt like a challenge. Sweat trickled down his neck. Mimi, meanwhile, seemed to enjoy the walk — hopping down to chase butterflies and pick up random sticks.
When they finally reached the basket, CUTIS wiped his forehead. “Finally. Food time.” He pulled back the cloth — but instead of rice, there was a note.
It read:
“Dear lazy son,
If you want to eat, you must first learn to earn it.
Your lunch is waiting — but only if you can find it.
Follow the trail of your own laziness.”
– Mom 😏”
CUTIS groaned. “Follow the trail of my laziness? What kind of riddle is that?” Mimi snatched the paper and started waving it around like a flag, squeaking excitedly.
He looked around, and then he noticed it — footprints leading away from the basket toward the forest. They looked familiar. “Wait… are those mine? She made me follow my own footsteps?!”
Still, his stomach growled, and with no other choice, he followed the trail.
The footprints led deeper into the forest. Along the way, CUTIS encountered all the animals he usually ignored in his laziness.
First came the ducks at the pond, quacking noisily. The pond water was dirty, full of fallen leaves. He remembered that his mom had told him yesterday to clean it — but he had “forgotten.”
Mimi pointed at the mess, squeaking accusingly. CUTIS sighed. “Alright, alright.” He rolled up his sleeves and started clearing the pond, scooping out leaves and tossing them aside. By the time he finished, the ducks happily swam in circles, splashing water everywhere.
CUTIS smiled a little. “Okay, maybe that wasn’t so bad.”
Next, he followed the trail to the goat pen. Snowy and Brownie, the baby goats, bleated loudly when they saw him. Their water trough was empty, and the fence was loose. CUTIS realized, with guilt, that he’d promised to fix it last week but had put it off every day.
With Mimi’s help — mostly her playful distraction — CUTIS fetched fresh water and mended the broken fence. The goats rubbed their heads affectionately against his legs, happy and content.
By now, the lazy son was sweating, tired, but strangely satisfied. “I guess this ‘punishment’ isn’t so bad,” he muttered. “At least the animals are happy.”
But the trail wasn’t done yet.
It led him finally to the rice field — his mother’s pride and joy. The young plants were growing, but weeds had begun to take over. The sight made CUTIS wince. He had promised to help pull weeds two days ago… but he’d fallen asleep instead.
“Alright, alright, I get it,” he muttered. “Mom really knows how to make a point.”
He rolled up his pants, stepped into the muddy field, and started pulling weeds. Mimi, ever the curious helper, tried to mimic him — pulling tiny blades of grass and tossing them aside. CUTIS laughed for the first time that day. “You’re better at this than I am, Mimi!”
Hours passed. The sun began to dip lower in the sky. CUTIS was covered in mud, but the field looked beautiful — neat and healthy. As he stood up, stretching his sore back, he saw something shining in the distance.
A small lunchbox sat on a wooden post at the far edge of the field, covered with a clean cloth. He rushed over, opened it, and gasped. Inside was his favorite meal — rice, fried fish, and mango slices. On top of the food was another note:
“Well done, my son.
Hard work makes the food taste sweeter.
Maybe now you understand: laziness feeds no one.”
– Mom ❤️”
CUTIS stood there for a moment, smiling softly. He sat down beside the rice plants, shared a bit of fish with Mimi, and ate gratefully. It was the best meal he’d had in a long time — not because of the taste, but because he’d earned it.
When he returned home, the sun had nearly set. Mama Lina was sitting on the porch, sewing quietly. CUTIS walked up to her, still muddy, holding Mimi in his arms.
“Mom,” he said sheepishly, “you win.”
She looked up, pretending not to understand. “Win? What do you mean?”
He chuckled. “Your little punishment worked. I cleaned the pond, fixed the fence, weeded the field, and now I’m more tired than I’ve ever been.”
Mama Lina smiled, her eyes full of warmth. “Then maybe you’re starting to understand something important — work is not punishment, my son. Laziness is.”
CUTIS nodded. “Yeah. And I don’t want to be lazy anymore. It actually feels… good to do something.”
Mimi squeaked and jumped onto Mama Lina’s shoulder, as if agreeing. They all laughed together.
That night, as stars filled the sky, CUTIS looked out at the peaceful field. The ducks were sleeping by the pond, the goats lay quietly in their pen, and Mimi snored softly beside him. His muscles ached, but his heart felt light.
He realized that his mother’s “punishment” wasn’t cruel — it was wise. It had shown him that the reward for hard work wasn’t just food or praise; it was pride, peace, and purpose.
From that day on, the lazy son was no longer lazy. He woke up early, helped in the fields, and even built a new shelter for the animals. Mama Lina would sometimes tease him, “Look at my hardworking boy! I thought you only knew how to sleep!”
CUTIS would laugh and reply, “Maybe I needed one good punishment to wake me up.”
And every time he said it, Mimi would squeak proudly — as if to say, “Told you so!”
😱 Lesson learned: A little hard work never hurts… but being lazy sure can! 🐒💪🌾
