The Louse and the Flea (Grimm)
Division into sections is editorial.
The brewing accident and the fleas grief
In a small household, two tiny insects lived together as companions, sharing domestic duties and brewing beer in an eggshell. During one of their brewing sessions, tragedy struck when the small female insect accidentally fell into the hot liquid and burned herself severely. This accident became the catalyst for an extraordinary chain of events that would ultimately engulf their entire world.
Her companion was overcome with grief and began screaming loudly in response to the tragedy that had befallen his housemate.
Chain reaction in the house
The loud screaming attracted the attention of the household objects, beginning with the room's entrance. The door inquired about the source of the distressing sounds, and upon learning of the louse's fate, it began to creak mournfully.
The creaking sound disturbed a cleaning implement resting in the corner, which questioned the door's behavior. When the door explained the tragic circumstances, reciting the growing list of sorrows, the broom felt compelled to join the mourning by sweeping frantically throughout the room.
"Have I not reason to creak? The little louse has burnt herself, The little flea is weeping." So the little broom began to sweep frantically.
The reaction spreads outdoors
The commotion inside the house soon attracted attention from outside. A vehicle passing by the dwelling noticed the frantic sweeping and questioned the broom about its unusual behavior. After hearing the accumulating tale of woe, the cart declared its intention to run and began moving wildly along the road.
As the cart ran frantically down the path, it passed by a pile of ashes that had been left by the roadside. The ash-heap questioned the cart's wild running, and upon learning the full story of tragedy and mounting responses, it decided to contribute to the collective mourning by burning furiously in clear, bright flames.
"Have I not reason to run? The little louse has burnt herself, The little flea is weeping, The little door is creaking, The little broom is sweeping."
The bright flames caught the attention of nearby vegetation.
Natural world responds
Standing near the burning ash-heap was a tree, which questioned why the ashes were burning so intensely. After learning about the chain of sorrows that had begun with the louse's accident, the tree declared that it too would participate in the mourning. It began shaking itself so violently that all its leaves fell to the ground, creating a dramatic display of grief.
A young woman carrying a water pitcher happened to pass by and witnessed the tree's violent shaking and the falling leaves. She inquired about the tree's strange behavior, and upon hearing the complete tale of woe that had spread from the original accident, she felt compelled to join the collective mourning by breaking her water pitcher.
The sound of the breaking pitcher attracted the attention of the water source from which the girl had filled her vessel.
The final flood
The spring questioned the girl about her destructive action, and after hearing the complete chain of events that had originated from the louse's brewing accident, it declared its own response to the tragedy. The spring announced that it would begin to flow violently, and immediately began doing so with tremendous force.
"Oh, ho!" said the spring, "then I will begin to flow," and began to flow violently. And in the water everything was drowned, the girl, the little tree, all together.