Don’t Believe a Flatterer
Once a crow snatched a piece of meat from a farmer’s child and flew to a tree. A fox was going under that tree. He saw the piece of meat in the beak of the crow. He was very tempted. He thought of having a good meal with that piece of meat. So he started flattering the crow.
“Hi, Mr. Crow”, said the fox. “What a magnificent bird you are! I can see that your body is beautiful, your feathers are fine, and your color is wonderful. I only wish I could listen to your lovely voice.”
The crow felt very flattered and agreed to sing. When he opened his month, the piece of meat fell to the ground. The fox took it up and left the place. Then the crow realized his foolishness.
“You tricked me,” said the crow angrily.
“I did, certainly, stupid crow. Thank you; be grateful to you for this tasty meat. You have the worst voice I’ve ever heard and you are the most stupid bird I’ve ever met. Remember something,” said the fox. “I said many things about your gleaming feathers and your singing voice, but I never said anything about your brain.”
The moral of the story is this: Don’t trust flatterers.
