A fox and a crane sat on the ground beside a lake. The Fox invited the Crane. The Crane was grateful for the invitation and accepted happily. Foxes, as we know, hail from the forest and fields. So, the Crane left her house near the water, and traveled to the Fox’s grand house to eat with him. The Fox heard a knock at his door, and stood up to greet the Crane. The Fox had prepared a delicious soup, which he served in a shallow dish. No matter how the Crane tried, with her long bill, she was unable to drink the soup from the shallow dish. She didn’t have hands with which to grasp the dish, and her long bill was too thin to eat in this way. Her long, sharp bill only served to hamper her, and she could only get a taste. Meanwhile the Fox with his greedy tongue quickly lapped it all up. As everyone knows, the Crane is an animal known for her grace. So, when she left, with a grim smile, she thanked him.
“Tomorrow, please come to my house and join me for dinner,” the Crane invited the Fox. “I guarantee to grant you the meal you deserve.” The foolish fox happily agreed. He had no grounds to refuse the offer. Following directions written hastily on a piece of thin graph paper, he made his way. The next evening the Crane heard a knock at her door, and stood up to guide the Fox into her little house. She too had prepared a delicious soup, full of grease, which was the Fox’s favorite. She served the soup in tall, narrow-necked bottles. He began to grope at the bottle, but no matter how he tried to grip it, he could not eat what was inside. He ground his sharp teeth in frustration. With his broad tongue he could not get so much as a taste, and the Crane would not give him a helping hand, and only smiled to herself as she watched the Fox’s gross movement. The Crane with her long, sharp bill easily reached and drank up the whole of the soup. Having to grieve the loss of a delicious meal, the Fox stared angrily at the Crane. That evening, the Fox had gone happily to the Crane’s house, but he came home sad. But, the Fox had learned his lesson. He knew that he had to halt his selfish behavior. Thanks to the Crane’s clever lesson, the Fox could now graduate to a new level of kindness.
“Tomorrow, please come to my house and join me for dinner,” the Crane invited the Fox. “I guarantee to grant you the meal you deserve.” The foolish fox happily agreed. He had no grounds to refuse the offer. Following directions written hastily on a piece of thin graph paper, he made his way. The next evening the Crane heard a knock at her door, and stood up to guide the Fox into her little house. She too had prepared a delicious soup, full of grease, which was the Fox’s favorite. She served the soup in tall, narrow-necked bottles. He began to grope at the bottle, but no matter how he tried to grip it, he could not eat what was inside. He ground his sharp teeth in frustration. With his broad tongue he could not get so much as a taste, and the Crane would not give him a helping hand, and only smiled to herself as she watched the Fox’s gross movement. The Crane with her long, sharp bill easily reached and drank up the whole of the soup. Having to grieve the loss of a delicious meal, the Fox stared angrily at the Crane. That evening, the Fox had gone happily to the Crane’s house, but he came home sad. But, the Fox had learned his lesson. He knew that he had to halt his selfish behavior. Thanks to the Crane’s clever lesson, the Fox could now graduate to a new level of kindness.