The Clever Fox!

This story dates back to a time when many animals lived in the forests of Silbaripuram. Once, a fox was roaming around in search of prey, as was his daily habit. Even after walking for a long time, he could not find anything to eat.

Exhausted by dusk, he lay down somewhere and fell asleep. During the night, he reached the banks of a nearby lake to drink some water. But at that very moment, a tiger arrived right behind him to drink water as well!

The tiger muttered to himself, "Ah! I shall eat this fox, drink some water, and then leave."

It was a moonlit night. Just as the fox’s mouth touched the water to drink, the reflection of the moon shimmered. At the same time, he caught the scent of the tiger and was startled!

Suddenly, he looked up and saw the tiger poised and ready to pounce! In a split second, the fox came up with a clever trick to escape from the tiger.

"I have no objection at all to you eating me," the fox said. "After all, foxes are food for tigers. It is divine destiny. But, Sir, you have chosen the wrong day."

Immediately, the tiger asked, "What is wrong with this day?"

The fox replied, "Look at Lord Moon in the sky. He is shining brightly and happily. However, on Earth, the Moon is standing here in great anger. Look into this water; see how he is trembling with rage."

When the tiger looked, he felt it was true and quickly left the spot! The fox drank his fill of water and went his own way.

Moral: We must never let our intellect grow dull due to laziness. Keeping our wit sharp and bright should be a way of life.