The Fox and the Crane

The fox and the crane became friends.
One day, the fox decided to treat the crane and went to invite him over.

"Come, my dear friend, come! I’ll treat you to something special!"
The crane arrived for the feast, and the fox had cooked semolina porridge and spread it on a plate. She served it and said:
"Eat up, my dear friend! I made it myself."

The crane pecked and pecked with his beak, but nothing worked!
Meanwhile, the fox licked and licked the porridge, eating it all herself.

When the porridge was gone, the fox said:
"Don’t be upset, my dear friend! There’s nothing more to treat you with."
"Thank you, friend, for that! Come visit me sometime."

The next day, the fox came over, and the crane had prepared a cold soup (okroshka) and poured it into a jug with a narrow neck. He placed it on the table and said:
"Eat, my friend! Truly, there’s nothing else to offer."

The fox started circling the jug, trying this way and that, licking it, sniffing it, but she couldn’t get anything! Her head wouldn’t fit into the jug. Meanwhile, the crane pecked and pecked until he ate it all.
"Well, don’t be upset, friend! There’s nothing more to treat you with."

The fox was annoyed—she had hoped to feast for a whole week, but she went home hungry.

What goes around comes around!
From then on, the friendship between the fox and the crane fell apart.

More fairy tales

• The Man, the Bear, and the Fox
• The Bear and the Fox
• The Argumentative Wife
• On Trial
• The Fool and the Birch Tree