Once upon a time, there was a princess who lived in a castle… but that’s another story. The one I’m telling you right now begins in a comfy, peaceful den where a family of foxes lived. But not just any family of foxes. It was the Fairytale Fox Family, consisting of the most famous foxes from fairytales and fables. How was this family formed? Well, it all began when the fox who tricked a crow into letting him eat its cheese, met the beautiful vixen who tricked the Gingerbread Man and ate him. Both foxes fell in love and had a litter of two fox kits. The eldest sister was known for trying to eat some grapes that were on top of a tree. But the youngest kit… he didn’t have any achievement, yet. But he was determined to show them he could be a true Fairytale Fox.
One day, the little fox decided to try what his father achieved: trick a crow into letting go off its food and eat it. He saw a female crow eating a wedge of cheese on a tree branch and headed toward it.
“Morning, mistress.” The little fox greeted her.
“Say, kid, what do you want?” she said, with the cheese still in her beak.
“It’s just I saw you eating cheese, and I thought it looked delicious. Could you please give me a tiny piece?”
“Sorry, kid, but this is my breakfast. Go have your own.”
The little fox walked away, and began to think.
“What did my father do to get the cheese from that crow?” he thought to himself. “That’s it! He tricked it into singing a song!”
He turned to the crow and said:
“I’ve heard you have a voice as beautiful as a blue sunlit stream, and whoever falls in love with it, it’s like a happy fish that swims and dances within it. Could you please sing me a song to see if it’s true?”
“Oh, my! I’ve never heard somebody saying something like that to me. Well, how can I deny a request such as this? Oh wait, just let me…”
The crow took the cheese wedge from her beak with her claw, but didn’t let go of it! Then she began to screech so horribly, that it disturbed many of the animals nearby. When the crow stopped singing, she asked:
“So, did you like it?”
“Umm… it was nice! Just keep practicing and you’ll do it great.”
“Thank you, little fox! Oh, I’m so inspired!”
The crow ate the cheese completely and left flying to practice. The little fox was so upset because he didn’t manage to accomplish what his father could. But then remembered there were still other chances to prove he could be a true Fairytale Fox.
Next day, he tried his mother’s achievement, trick a living Gingerbread Man into being eaten by her. He remembered that in order to achieve this, she told the Gingerbread Man that they would be friends and that she would help him cross a river, and in the end, she ate him. However, there was one small problem: the little fox didn’t know how to swim. So he began to practice in a lagoon near his den, until he was good enough to swim. Casually, that evening, he saw another living Gingerbread Man escaping from some farm animals. So he sneaked to another part where the Gingerbread Man was supposed to pass running, and quietly called his attention:
“Psst! You, Gingerbread Man, come here!”
“Why should I? You are also trying to eat me, aren’t you?” he said.
“No, not at all! I’m just trying to help you! We could be friends!”
“Friends? I’ve never had a friend. Ok, I’ll come with you.”
“Great! Now, jump on my back!” the little fox said.
“Where are we going?”
“I’ll help you cross the river. You’ll be safe on the other side.”
Both arrived to the river, and the little fox used his newly learned swimming skills to take the Gingerbread Man to the other side of the river. When they were in the middle of the river, the little fox said:
“You’re starting to cause an itch on my back. Must be your crumbs. Would you mind moving to my head?”
“If you say so.”
Then the Gingerbread Man got up from the little fox’s back and climbed upon his head. Soon they arrived to the other side of the river, where the farm animals couldn’t reach them. Quickly, the little fox lifted his head, throwing the Gingerbread Man into the air, and opened his mouth, preparing to eat it. However, the Gingerbread Man grabbed onto the branch of a nearby tree and climbed it.
“Whoo! Thanks, dude! You saved my life! See you later!” he said.
Then he jumped off the tree and ran away. The poor little fox was left without a snack, and worst of all, without any achievement. Sad, he returned to his home.
“What’s the matter, dear?” his mother asked.
“I couldn’t accomplish what all of you could.”
“What do you mean?”
“My dad tricked a crow to eat its cheese. You tricked the Gingerbread Man into being eaten by you. My uncle helped a little prince find his rose. But I can’t do anything like that.”
“Don’t worry, son. You just have to keep trying.” his father said.
“But everything I try ends up in bad luck!”
“Aw, don’t believe in that.” His mother said. “Look at your sister. She tries every day to get some grapes from a tree.”
“And has she managed to get them?” his father asked.
“Not yet.”
“Hey!” His sister said. “However, I won’t give up. I’ll keep on trying until one day, I get to eat those grapes.”
“See?” his father said. “You have to do the same as your sister.”
“I think you’re right, dad!” the little fox said. “Tomorrow, I’ll try to get some grapes from a tree.”
“Uh, I didn’t mean that. But if that encourages you to keep trying, good for you!”
“But for now, we all should go to sleep.” The mother said.
“Yeah. Good night, honey.”
“Good night, mom.” The little fox’s sister said.
“Mom, wait!” The little fox said. “Before you go, could you please tell me a story to sleep?”
“All right, sweetie.”
She took a book from a shelf and opened it. As her kit snuggled between his blanket on the bed, she began to read the story.
“Once upon a time, there was a princess who lived in a castle with her parents. She was said to have beautiful feet, and great dancing skills. One day, she met a mysterious man. His name was Fahid the Fatal. The man was really a travelling wizard who presented magic shows with backup dancers. When he visited the castle, Fahid was most impressed with the princess’s dancing skills, for he had never seen dance moves like that before, not to mention she had gorgeous feet. He offered her to join one of his shows, telling her that he would give her whatever she desired, but the princess said no. The wizard was boiling mad.
“If you won’t dance for me, then you shall not dance for anyone ever again!”
Using his magic staff, Fahid casted a spell on the princess’s feet, turning them into heavy stone, and thus, disabling her capacity to dance. But not just that. With his magic powers, he lifted the tower of the castle where her room was and transported it deep into the forest, locking the princess where no one could find her. Then he disappeared. Many knights from the castle were sent by the King and the Queen to hunt down the wizard and find the princess, but to no avail. Legend says many of the knights never returned from the search, and that the princess is still locked in her tower, waiting for someone to break the spell and free her from her prison deep in the woods…”
“Wow, mom! What an epic story!” the little fox said. “Is it real?”
“Nobody knows.” She said. “Okay, darling, time to sleep.”
She gave him a good night kiss.
“Good night, mom.”
“Good night, son.”
TO BE CONTINUED