The Fox and The Grus

Once upon a time The Fox and The Grus became friends.

The Fox decided to invite her friend The Grus over for dinner.  So, she went to his house and said,

- Come, my good buddy Grus, come to my house.  I will treat you to quite a feast!

The Grus got dressed, combed his feathers, and set off to The Fox’s house.

Meanwhile, The Fox cooked delicious cream of wheat, smeared it all over a flat-bottomed plate.  As soon as The Grus arrived, The Fox asked him to the table and said,

- Eat up, my darling!  I made it all myself.

The Grus tapped and tapped on the plate, dabbed and dabbed with his beak – he could not get any porridge in his mouth.

The Fox, on the other hand, licked and smacked.  In no time at all she ate all of the porridge herself.  As she was licking the last drop of her nose, The Fox said to The Grus,

- Well, my darling, my apologies.  I have nothing else to offer.

- No worries, love, thank you for such a treat!  Come to my house for dinner, - replied The Grus.

The next day The Fox came to The Grus’ house.  The Grus made a fresh cold summer soup with veggies and root bear.  He poured some soup in a jug with a narrow neck and served the tables.

- Eat up, my dear friend, - he said. – I made it myself.

The Fox spun around the jug.  The Fox swirled around the jug, trying to get to the soup.  She licked and she sniffed, but couldn’t get anything out – her head was too big to get through the narrow neck of the jug.

The Grus, on the other hand, dabbed and picked.  He ate up all of the food, then said,

- Well, my darling, my apologies.  I have nothing else to offer.

The Fox felt dumb-founded.  She was disappointed as she was hoping that she would eat enough to not be hungry for a week.  Instead, she had an empty stomach and confused mind.  

What goes around comes around.

Since that time, the friendship between The Fox and The Grus fell apart.

THE END

The Gingerbread House

Once upon a time there lived a brother Vanya and sister Masha.

One day they went berry picking to the forest. They walked and walked through the forest, looking for berries. Suddenly they came to a little house, standing in the middle of the forest opening. Curious, the children came closer and discovered that it’s a special little house. The house was made out of gingerbread dough. It smelled sweet, sparked with shiny frosting, and gleamed with bright colors of the candy drop roof.

The children ran up to the house in excitement. They were braking off candy drops and filling their pockets.

Little did they know that the cottage house belonged to a bear. The bear heard the noise of his roof braking. He roared angrily, “What are you doing here?”

Frightened by the roar, Vanya and Masha took off running as fast as they could. The bear ran after them. He was enraged and determined to catch the trespassers.

Vanya and Masha were getting tired, the bear was getting closer.  Suddenly, they ran into a hazel tree. The children stopped and asked, “Hazel tree, hazel tree, please help us hide. There is an angry bear running after us!”

The hazel tree hid the children, so when the bear was passing by he didn’t notice anyone.

The bear ran and ran. Then he stalled, confused to see that there was no one to chase on the road. He turned around.

Meanwhile, Vanya and Masha took another path to get to the river. The bear saw them and sprinted toward the children ever so fast. The brother and sister saw a flock of ducks in the water. The children asked the ducks, “Dear ducks, dear ducks, please help us get to the other side of the river. There is an angry bear running after us!”

The ducks lined up side by side, creating a bridge for the brother and sister to walk to the other side of the river.

The bear was so close that in a split minute the children got to the other bank of the river, the heavy bear foot stepped on the first duck. The ducks took off in the air.

With the hundreds big and small splashes the bear plopped down in the water. The river picked him up and carried down with the flow far, far away, all the way to the big blue sea.

Vanya and Masha decided to return to the gingerbread house. They offered the ducks to come along.

At the gingerbread house they ate and snacked, they joked and laughed, and they lived happily ever after.

THE END

Nibbly-Quibbly The Goat

Once upon a time there lived an old man and an old woman with their granddaughter Masha.  They didn’t have a cow or a pig – no other cattle, but a single goat, a black-eyed, crooked-legged, pointy horns goat.  An old man loved this goat. 

One day an old man sent an old woman to shepherd the goat.  An old woman was watching after the goat while the goat was feeding and running.  At the dusk an old woman took the goat back home.  An old man met them at the gate and he asked the goat,

-          My dear black-eyed goat, my crooked-legged goat, my pointy horns goat, what did you eat?  What did you drink?

-          I didn’t eat.  I didn’t drink.  An old woman didn’t take me out.  She didn’t shepherd me.  As I was crossing the bridge in a hurry, I was lucky enough to snip a maple leaf.  That’s all I was able to have today, - replied the goat.

The old man got very angry at the old woman.  He screamed and he yelled and he sent their granddaughter to shepherd the goat. 

The granddaughter was watching after the goat while the goat was feeding and running.  At the dusk the granddaughter took the goat back home.  An old man met them at the gate and he asked the goat,

-          My dear black-eyed goat, my crooked-legged goat, my pointy horns goat, what did you eat?  What did you drink?

-          I didn’t eat.  I didn’t drink.  Your granddaughter didn’t take me out.  She didn’t shepherd me.  As I was crossing the bridge in a hurry, I was lucky enough to snip a maple leaf.  That’s all I was able to have today, - replied the goat.

The old man got very angry at his granddaughter. He screamed and he yelled, then decided to shepherd the goat himself.  So, he watched after the goat while the goat was feeding and running.  As they went back home, the old man ran faster and sat on the bench by the gate before the goat could make it there.  When the goat came to the gate the old man asked,

-          My dear black-eyed goat, my crooked-legged goat, my pointy horns goat, how well did you eat?  How well did you drink?

-          I didn’t eat.  I didn’t drink.  As I was crossing the bridge in a hurry, I was lucky enough to snip a maple leaf.  That’s all I was able to have today, - replied the goat.

Oh, how the old man got mad at the liar.  He grabbed his belt and started whipping the goat.  The goat took off for the forest.

In the forest the goat stumbled upon a little hare’s cottage.  She got inside and locked the door, while the hare was picking some cabbage at the garden.  The hare came home to find his door locked.  He knocked on the door and asked,

-          Who is that uninvited guest that locked my cottage and is not letting me back in?

-          It’s a Nibbly-Quibbly black-eyed, crooked-legged, pointy horns goat! – answered the goat in a scary voice. – I will stomp on you, and I will gore you, and I will sweep your remaining with my tail!

The hare ran away in a terror, hid under the bush and started crying, wiping tears off with his paw.

Wolf the Torn Rib was passing by.  He saw the hare under the bush and asked him,

-          What are you crying about, old buddy hare?  What are you wasting your tears for?

-          How can I not be crying?  How can I not be full of sorrow?  I built myself a nice cottage in the woods, but I can’t live in it because of Nibbly-Quibbly Goat, who locked me out and keeps me out.

-          Don’t worry, buddy hare, I will kick her out.

So, the Wolf the Torn Rib went to the cottage and yelled at the goat,

-          Hey goat, get off the hare’s bed, get out of the cottage!

The goat yelled even louder in reply,

-          I will jump out, I will attack you, I will stomp on you, I will rip you apart – the pieces will fly through the air!

The wolf got scared and ran away.

The hare hid under the bush and started crying, wiping tears off with his paw.

Along came Bear the Heavy Foot.  He saw the hare and wondered,

-          What are you crying about, old buddy hare?  What are you wasting your tears for?

-          How can I not be crying?  How can I not be full of sorrow?  I built myself a nice cottage in the woods, but I can’t live in it because of Nibbly-Quibbly Goat, who locked me out and keeps me out.

-          Don’t worry, buddy hare, I will kick her out.

So, the Bear the Heavy Foot went to the cottage and roared at the goat,

-          Hey goat, get off the hare’s bed, get out of the cottage!

The goat said in a scary voice,

-          I will jump out, I will attack you, I will stomp on you, I will rip you apart – the pieces will fly through the air!

-           

The bear got scared and ran away.

The hare hid under the bush and started crying, wiping tears off with his paw.

Along came the Rooster The Red Comb.  He saw the hare and wondered,

-          What are you crying about, old buddy hare?  What are you wasting your tears for?

-          How can I not be crying?  How can I not be full of sorrow?  I built myself a nice cottage in the woods, but I can’t live in it because of Nibbly-Quibbly Goat, who locked me out and keeps me out.

-          Don’t worry, buddy hare, I will kick her out.

-          How would you do that? – asked the hare doubtfully. – I asked her to leave, she wouldn’t.  The wolf asked her to leave, she didn’t.  The bear ordered her to leave, she stayed.  You wouldn’t be able to kick her out, Peter!

-          Let’s see, - said the rooster.

So, the Rooster The Red Comb went to the cottage and cried with all his might,

-          I’m coming from the hills, I’m running pretty fast.  I’m carrying a weed-wacker to take off your head!  Cock-a-doodle-do!

The fox got scared.  She fell of the couch.  She stumbled through the house.  She took off running out of the cottage and to the forest.

The hare thanked the rooster and returned to his cottage.  He still lives there, chewing on his carrot and waiving you “hello”.

THE END

The Fox and The Wolf

Once upon a time there lived an old man and his wife.  The old man said to his wife,

-          Diane, you start the bread batter while I go catch some fish.

The old man caught a sleigh full of fish and got on his horse to go home. 

On the way home the old man saw a fox laying in the middle of the road.  The old man got of his horse, came close to the fox to see if it was alive.  The fox neither moved nor took a breath.  It seemed to be dead.

-          What a wonderful find!  This fox’s fur will make a great hat for my wife, - thought the old man.

So, the man picked up the fox, put it in the back of his sleigh and pulled his horse to the house.

The fox, however, was pretending to be dead.  It waited for a perfect opportunity and started dropping fish that the old man had caught – one by one, one by one.  Once all the fish was gone, the fox jumped off the sleigh and hid behind some pine trees.

The old man came home and proudly called for his wife to come out and look at what beautiful fur he got her for a rich-looking hat.

The old man’s wife came out of the house, looked in the sleigh and saw neither fur, nor fish.  She started cursing the old man,

-          You are such a drum-head and a liar!  What has compelled you to make up a story like that?!

The old man realized that the fox wasn’t indeed dead.  He sighed and grieved but had to let it go – there was nothing he could do.

Meanwhile, the fox picked up all the fish she had thrown off the old man’s sleigh.  It piled the fish in the middle of the road, got comfortable and started her dinner.

There was a wolf passing by.  It saw the fox, stopped and wondered,

-          Hello there, sweetheart.  What is that you are having for dinner?

-          What I eat is all mine, and you should stay away and mind your business, - replied the fox.

-          Wouldn’t you want to share some fish with your old buddy?

-          I sure wouldn’t, - the fox said. – If you want some fish, you go and catch some yourself.

-          I would if I could.  I don’t know how to fish, - the wolf shared sadly.

-          Interesting… - paused the fox. – I somehow caught some.  Okay, I’ll share my secret.  All you have to do is go to the river, dip your tail in the ice hole, sit there and repeat this saying, “Bite, fishies, bite.  Small fishies, bite.  Large fishies, bite!”  The fish will start biting right on your tail.  The longer you sit the more fish you’ll catch.

So the wold went to the river, dipped his tail in the ice hole, sat near and started repeating,

-          Bite, fishies, bite.  Small fishies, bite.  Large fishies, bite!

Bite, fishies, bite.  Small fishies, bite.  Large fishies, bite!

Here came the fox.  It saw that the silly old wolf believed every fox’s word.  So she started walking around the wolf whispering her own saying,

-          Twinkle, shine, little stars.

Let the wolf’s tail freeze in the ice hole.

                The wolf heard that the fox was whispering something and asked her,

-          Sweetheart, what are you saying back there?

-          Oh, I am simply trying to help you draw some fish onto your tail.

With those words, the fox went on whispering, 

-          Twinkle, shine, little stars.

Let the wolf’s tail freeze in the ice hole.

The wolf spent the whole night by the ice hole.  By morning his tail got completely wet and froze right in the cold winter water.  He tried to get up, but couldn’t!

So, the wolf thought to himself,

-          It must be all the fish I caught on my tail.

While wolf was contemplating his breakfast, the village woman came to the ice-hole to fetch some water.  She saw the wolf, got scared, but didn’t run.  Instead, she took her water bucket and started bushing the wolf with it.  She was beating the wolf.  She was bashing the wolf.  The wolf pulled and pulled his tail in trying to escape.  He ripped his tail off and ran for his life.

“Fox, you’ll pay me for my trouble, “  - thought the wolf running away.

Meantime, the fox was sneaked in the village woman’s house, ate the bread batter, smeared some dough on her head, ran outside and dropped in the middle of the road, moaning.

The wolf saw the fox and confronted it,

-          Here you are!  Is that what you call your helpful tip on how to fish?!  Look, I’ve been beaten and hurt!

The fox sadly groaned,

-          Oh, dear, dear.  You lost your tail, but at least your head is safe.  Look what happened to my head!  The village women beat me so hard than my brains came out of my head.  See?!

-          You’re right!  I see that! – the wolf agreed.  – I’m sorry, sweetheart.  I didn’t mean to be so angry.  Please let me give you a ride to the woods.

                The fox got on the wolf’s back and sang while riding,

-          I am riding such a fool!

Healthy fox on beaten wolf!

                The wolf heard the fox whispering something and asked,

-          What are you saying there, sweetheart?

-          Oh, I’m just trying to ease your pain.

Having said that, she resumed to singing,

-          I am riding such a fool!

Healthy fox on beaten wolf!

THE END