ToastFinder – Short stories for any occasion!Surprise me
Back to all picks
StoryAbout 2 min to share

The Fox and the Crane

The Fox and the Crane became friends. After a while, the Fox invited the Crane over for dinner. The Crane accepted the invitation and went to the Fox’s house. The Fox had some soup prepared and served it on a flat plate.

The Crane tried peck-peck-pecking on the plate, but couldn’t get anything in his mouth. The Fox didn’t have such problems: she just licked the food from the plate. In fact, she ate the whole dinner by herself.

Walking out of her house, the Crane decided to invite the Fox to his home to return the favour. The very next day, the Fox went to the Crane. He had prepared soup for her, and served it in a pitcher with a narrow neck. Putting the pitcher on the table, the Crane exclaimed:

– Try it, my foxy friend, try it – you haven’t tasted anything like it ever before.

The fox curiously started walking around the table. She tried examining the pitcher, licking it and sniffing it – but, no matter how hard she tried, her head just couldn’t go inside the narrow neck.

Because of his long beak, the Crane skipped these formalities. He started pecking and, soon enough, packed the whole meal away.

Source: Tales of the People of the World. Vol. 1, Russian Folk Tales, M., 1987.

You might also share

  • StoryAbout 1 min

    What Decision Really Means

    Here is a short wish and toast about decision making: The Latin root of the word “decide” means “to kill or to cut” (similar to “homicide”, “suicide”, “genocide”.)

  • StoryAbout 1 min

    The Donkey and the Horse

    A horse and a donkey were once coming from the market. The donkey was carrying heavy load on his back, and the horse was lightly running. Halfway down the road, the donkey felt…

  • StoryAbout 1 min

    The Broken Jug

    A small clay water jug stood on the stove. And in the corner of the room, a sick man lay on the bed. He was tormented by extreme thirst. “Just a sip, just a sip,” he groaned.