On one of the winter nights, the weather was extremely cold. There was a thick layer of snow on the ground. Squirrels and reptiles all disappeared in their shelters to protect themselves from the severe cold. The winter months were dark, so birds began migrating to warmer areas.
Even larvae and snails completely disappeared, hiding far away in the darkness. They dug houses for themselves in trees to hide in until spring came. The fields and forests were silent and empty, except for a large black crow. The crow was hunting for his dinner meal.
The crow flew all day searching for food but didn’t find anything except maybe a small mouse or leftovers of human food. Now the crow was tired and hungry. He began to cry in sadness. The crow said to himself, “It seems I won’t have dinner today.” He began flying slowly in the sky, looking for anything to eat. The crow was about to return to his home when he saw a thin thread of smoke in the distance.
The crow thought smoke meant there was fire, and fire meant someone was cooking food. The crow flew at full speed in the direction of the smoke. Indeed, the crow saw the smoke coming out of a giant chimney in one of the rural houses. Inside was a farmer and his wife who were cooking dinner for their family.
There was soup with a very appetizing smell boiling in a large pot over the fire. There was also fresh bread on the table. There was also a piece of butter and cheese in one of the dishes near the window. The window had been left open so the butter wouldn’t melt or the cheese spoil.
When the crow saw the cheese, he flew quickly toward the window, picked up the cheese with his beak, and flew away. At that time, the farmer’s wife was watching the soup, and her back was to the window. She didn’t see the crow when he stole the cheese.
The crow was extremely happy with what he had done and was saying to himself, “There is nothing sweeter than the taste of cheese in winter.” The crow flew to his home and settled in his nest comfortably, eating the meal he had stolen.
At that time, there was a fox sleeping relaxed among the bushes in one of the fields. The fox had tried all day to find any food in the forest and fields but hadn’t found any. The fox didn’t find any bird or mouse or even food leftovers. He was tired and hungry. The fox thought he would sleep without dinner that night. He was about to give up and return to his home when he saw the crow in his home eating the piece of cheese.
The fox thought, “What a good smell!” and decided to get the piece of cheese. The fox began watching the crow. Then the fox smiled to himself as he moved under the crow’s tree.
The fox began his speech in a loud voice and said, “Good evening, Mr. Crow. You look well today.” The crow looked down in surprise, for this was the first time he had heard the fox speak in such a polite manner. The fox continued his speech, “You look very strong today, Mr. Crow. Your feathers look blacker today, and they also look soft and shiny. I haven’t seen anyone with feathers as beautiful as yours.”
The crow felt even more surprised, for no one had ever said such words before. The crow felt pride at hearing these words. The fox spoke again and said to the crow, “I am very impressed with your way of flying. You are able to fly higher than eagles. Even your talons are very strong. Can I show them to you?” The crow felt vanity and approached the fox so he could see his talons.
The fox smiled to himself, looked at the crow with admiration, and said, “I haven’t heard your voice yet. It must be a strong and beautiful voice, strong just like you.” Then the fox asked the crow to sing to him.
The crow remembered the words of all the birds he knew about his voice and how very bad it was. But he felt they were jealous of him and that his voice was beautiful. At that moment, the crow took a deep breath, opened his mouth as wide as he could to sing, and the piece of cheese fell from his beak. The fox quickly picked it up, put it in his mouth, and swallowed it.
The crow then realized what had happened. After the fox swallowed the cheese, he moved, warning the crow not to believe anything in the future. He went away into the forest among the bushes and was no longer visible.
The crow stood sad, feeling foolish. He thought about what the fox had done. He wondered how he had been so foolish—how the fox had been able to steal the cheese from him so easily. The crow folded his wings and went to the nest, spending his night hungry.
Translated from story: The Foolish crow