36 lines
2.3 KiB
Plaintext
36 lines
2.3 KiB
Plaintext
FOX AND THE GRAPES
|
|
|
|
Once upon a time . . . in a wood there lived a very crafty quick-witted
|
|
fox. The rabbits, rats, the birds and all the other creatures fled at the
|
|
sight of him, for they all knew how cruel and famished he was. And since his
|
|
prey kept fearfully out of sight, the fox had no choice but to haunt the
|
|
neighbourhood buildings in the hope of finding something to eat. The first
|
|
time, he was in luck. Near a lonely peasant's cottage, only a low fence stood
|
|
between him and the hen run, and there he left death and destruction behind
|
|
him.
|
|
"What careless men, leaving such tender fat hens unguarded," he said to
|
|
himself as he trotted away, still munching.
|
|
A few days later, hungry once more, he decided to visit the same hen run
|
|
again. He crept up to the fence. A thread of smoke curled from the cottage
|
|
chimney, but all was quiet. With a great bound, he leapt into the hen run. The
|
|
cackling hens scattered, and the fox was already clutching one in his jaws
|
|
when a stone hit him on the side.
|
|
"Wicked brute!" yelled a man waving a stick. "Now I've got you!"
|
|
To make matters worse, up raced a large dog, snarling viciously. The fox
|
|
dropped the hen and tried to jump out of the hen run. At the first try, he
|
|
fell back, perhaps weak with fright. He could almost feel the dog's fangs sink
|
|
into his ear, but with a desperate jump, he got over the fence. The yells and
|
|
stones streamed after the bruised fox as he ran into the wood. In a nearby
|
|
glade, he glanced round to make sure that he was not being followed. "Bad
|
|
luck!" he said to himself. "All those hens . . ." His mouth was watering and
|
|
he could feel gnawing hunger pains. Right above his head stretched a vine,
|
|
laden with bunches of big ripe grapes. "Well, if there's nothing else . . ."
|
|
muttered the fox, jumping up towards the grapes. But the bunches were hanging
|
|
just beyond his reach. The fox then took a running jump at them, but without
|
|
success. And though he tried over and over again, the grapes remalned beyond
|
|
his grasp.
|
|
"Craw! Craw! Craw!" laughed a crow overhead, mocking the disappointed fox.
|
|
"Sour grapes!" exclaimed the fox loudly. I'11 come back when they're ripe."
|
|
And thrusting out his chest to give himself airs, though still smarting from
|
|
the blows he had received, he set off towards the woods with an empty stomach.
|