The little fox without a tail.
( Children's story )
Author: Pili García-Tello.
Translation by: Marion Rothgiesser.
Once upon a time a little fox was born without a tail. No one knew why .
The fact was, he had no tail. And it is well known that the biggest pride
for a fox is his tail. His play mates boasted about having a bushy and
shiny one. They invited the hyenas ( they are good at laughing ) to make
fun of him. Poor fellow, he grew up to be melancolic and sad.
He had a nice body, sturdy legs but surely missed that brilliant furry end,
a situation that caused him great misery.
His mother tried to comfort him saying that this way he was safe
of hunters
who killed them in order to sell their furs, specially their tails,
to rich ladies who would put them around their necks so to impress others,
saying: " I have a silverfoxtail".
But for him this was no consolation. He just wanted to be like all the
other foxes. One day while crestfallen and sadly wandering
through the wood, he saw something that marvelled him: it was a plant full
of foxtails, not one, or two, but hundreds of them, shiny and swinging with
the breeze. Entranced he stared at them for a long while and then he went
running back to his mother saying :" I found a tail for me !".
His mother accompanied him to where he had seen the plant with tails.
Respectfully they approached it and asked permission to cut one branch. The
plant, swinging with the wind acceeded and smiled. Both mother fox and her
son looked for and found a cord with which the mother tied and glued the
tail with the sticky sap of a rubber tree to his body.
The little fox was so happy. He proudly joined his companions who never
again made fun of him.
THE END