37 lines
2.3 KiB
Plaintext
37 lines
2.3 KiB
Plaintext
THE WOLF AND THE CRANE
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Once upon a time . . . a wolf well known for his ferocity received his
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punishment for being greedy. As he was devouring a lamb, a tiny sharp bone
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stuck in his throat. And from that day on, he could swallow nothing except
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sips of water, which neither soothed the pain nor appeased his hunger. Though
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he tried every remedy he knew, he was unable to dislodge the bone. In despair,
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he started to ask everyone he knew for help. But, scared of his awful
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reputation, folk made excuses to avoid the wolf and would have nothing to do
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with him. One day, from behind his barred door, the fox said: "I'm not well,
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so I can't open the door, but I think you ought to have a word with the crane
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down at the end of the big pond. Folk say she's the best doctor around here.
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Without much hope and feeling sorry for himself, the wolf went to see the
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crane. And when he got to her house, he tried his best to be pleasant.
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"Mrs Crane, I'm told you're enormously clever. If you can help me, I'll
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give you a rich reward!"
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At first, the crane, well aware of the wolf's reputation, was alarmed,
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though also proud at the idea of treating such a famous patient. And,
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attracted too by the promise of a reward, she said she'd see what she could
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do.
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The wolf opened wide his huge mouth. The crane shuddered at the thought of
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peering inside the red jaws with their sharp fangs, but plucking up her
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courage, she said: "Now, please keep your mouth wide open, or I won't be able
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to remove the bone!" And she poked her long beak down the wolf's throat and
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pulled out the little bone.
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"There! You can close your mouth again. You'll be able to swallow whatever
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you like now!" The wolf could hardly believe it. His throat was clear at last!
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Highly delighted, the crane said: "See how clever I am? You didn't feel a
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thing! I whipped out that nasty bone with my long beak! And as for my
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reward..." The wolf interrupted with a scowl.
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"Reward? What reward? You ought to be grateful that I didn't bite your head
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off while it was down my throat! You should give me a reward for sparing your
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life!"
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Seeing the wolf's bloodshot eyes, the crane realized she was now in danger.
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What more could she expect from such a wicked wolf? And she vowed that, from
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then on, she'd only treat patients too harmless ever to threaten her.
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