Once upon a time there lived a fox, and he invited a crane to dinner. Now this fox was a mean, sly old creature and when his guest arrived, he was prepared to offer her nothing but a shallow dish of thin, watery soup. And while the fox lapped up the soup with great relish, the poor crane sat staring sadly at her bowl. With her long, slender beak it proved quite impossible to drink the soup.
The fox enquired mockingly: "Are you not well, my good crane? What a shame. I am sure you agree that we cannot let such delicious soup go to waste. I shall oblige you and eat it for you." And so saying, the crafty fox took the crane's soup and gobbled it all up in no time.
The crane left the table as hungry as can be, muttering angrily under her breath. Nevertheless, she invited the fox to dine with her the following month.
A few weeks later the fox swaggered into the crane's home, only to discover that the food was served in deep jugs with long narrow necks. There was no way in which he could reach down far enough to eat the food and so he watched in silence as the crane poked her beak down into the jug and ate a hearty meal. Dizzy with hunger, the fox staggered home realising, to his dismay, that he had been repaid with taste of his own medicine.
from a bedtime story: Little Red Riding Hood and other tales
Retold by Geraldine Carter
Illustrated by Dorothea King
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