The teapot sat on the table with the rest of the tea set. The tea set had a beautiful design and was made of fine china. The teapot had a delicate handle and a long spout and was very proud of herself.
She looked at the sugar bowl and the milk jug. “The sugar bowl has a lovely round tummy like me,” said the teapot one day feeling very gracious, “But it has no spout! Poor thing!”
Then she looked at the milk jug. “It has a lip, but no spout either! And as for the poor teacups, they have good handles, but again no spouts. People could drink tea from a bowl or a tumbler too.” In the eyes of the teapot, all the other members of the tea set were insignificant.
The teapot never lost a chance to show off. But she never spoke about the chip on her lid. The rest of them couldn’t see it anyway!
The sugar bowl, the milk jug and the cups were fed up of listening to the teapot preening herself all the time. They were upset and angry because they knew each of them did us share of work well. They all served the family at teatime in their own way. Each was necessary in its own way.
And they also knew that the lid of the teapot was chipped! “My lid is not chipped!” said the sugar bowl, feeling resentful.
“And our handles are as good as hers!” said a cheeky little teacup. But nothing stopped the teacup from continuing to boast constantly.
One day, as tea was being poured, the teapot slipped out and crashed on the floor. Its spout and handle broke off. Tea split all over the carpet.
The sugar bowl, the milk jug and the teacups were shocked. But then they burst out laughing. With a sigh of relief they watched the pieces being taken away. “We won’t have to listen to her boasting any more!” they all whispered to one another.
In the kitchen, the teapot was examined. “It can’t be fixed with glue now,” said the cook, “We’ll have to throw it away.”
“No! Wait!!” said one of the maids, “We can turn the teapot into a flower pot!”
So, they filled it with soil and planted a flower bulb into it. Then it was put on the window-sill.
The teapot had lost its spout and its handle, and even its chipped lid! But it felt happy that it had a heart inside it with a new life coming up. But by the time a beautiful flower bloomed in the teapot, a change had come over the teapot. It was not arrogant and proud any more. It had become very modest and polite! The others in the tea set were very happy with the ‘new’ teapot!
