Week 1 Story: The Not-So-Clever Fox

The Not-So-Clever Fox

Winter Fox:  Pixabay

Mr. Fox was thought he was a very clever guy.  He liked to scale buildings and sneak into new places without permission… until one day he broke into the theater. 

It was a chilly day in the beginning of spring and Mr. Fox had just come out of his burrow for the season.  He decided he wanted to go exploring and maybe stir up some trouble like he did when he was younger.  He wandered around the forest for hours trying to find a good place to be mischievous,  and he finally found a small village. 

The farthest building on the outskirts of the village was a theater, and Mr. Fox decided that was where he wanted to cause trouble.  He quickly found the dressing room and noticed that it was devoid of costumes, but every wall was filled with masks.  He started trying them on one by one and acting silly; making fun of each type of animal that he tried on.  He started small; making fun of mice, bugs, and snakes with the masks.  When he put on one mask, a brave little mouse jumped out of the corner and said “hey! You had better watch what you say about others, because one day you might step on the wrong toes!!” And Mr. Fox thought “How would this little mouse ever think that he could threaten me?”.  So he continued… without taking into account the advice of the brave little mouse. 

As he went down the wall the animal masks got bigger and bigger… bunnies, opossums, raccoons, wolves, bobcats, and even bears!  Mr. Fox was having a grand time making fun of other people, and he wasn't being nice about it at all.  Many of the small animals heard of his actions or saw him and were reduced to tears, for they were not as brave as the little mouse. 

Finally, Mr. Fox had had enough of his laughter and he decided that he was hungry and it was time to go home.  He walked outside, and the sun was beginning to set.  “Oh no” thought Mr. Fox, “I had better hurry to get home for dinner!”. 

Unfortunately for Mr. Fox, Karma always has its way, and soon the sun began to set and it got dark.  Mr. Fox realized that he was lost and there was no way that he would get home in time for dinner.  He stopped and yelled out for anyone to give him directions.  He encountered a squirrel and she said “Yeah, I know where you live, I was watching you this morning from the treetops, but I am not going to help you because I don’t like how you treated my friend the brave little mouse!” 

Mr. Fox was unfazed at this… he didn’t need a squirrel’s help anyways!  He continued on…

…but he soon realized he was walking in circles.

Mr. Fox heard a rustling in the bushes.  He was afraid, but he would never admit it.  “Who is there?” said Mr. Fox. 

Mrs. Raccoon popped out of the bushes, and Mr. Fox was secretly relieved.  He turned to her and said “Mrs. Raccoon, I have been lost for several hours and I am very hungry, is there any way you would spare some leftovers for me?  Mrs. Raccoon was not amused; “You made my three young children cry today with your antics! Get away from my home!”.  Mr. Fox was slightly saddened by this, but he continued on. 

Finally, after wandering for several more hours, Mr. Fox found his home.  He was so tired he just wanted to sleep, but when he walked to his front door, there was the brave little mouse. 

Brave little mouse said “Mr. Fox, you owe me and my friends an apology, and I want one before the sun comes up!”.  Mr. Fox responded, “you silly little mouse, get out of my way, I am tired and you can’t do anything to make me apologize or stop me from eating dinner and going to bed!”

Suddenly, all of the bushes around Mr. Fox began to rustle.  All of the forest creatures began to appear… opossums, squirrels, mice… and wolves and bears.  They were not amused by the antics of Mr. Fox. 

Mr. Fox began to apologize profusely, and he was so afraid that he began to cry. 

You would think that the forest animals made fun of him, but they didn’t.  

They knew that the most important thing in life is to be nice to people, so they let Mr. Fox go home.

Shortly after, he felt so bad that he apologized to each animal separately and gave them all gifts.  He stopped causing mischief and to this day, he is friends with little brave mouse, because sometimes bravery comes from the most unexpected places. 

Author's Note:  This story was inspired as a rewrite of Aesop's Tale "The Fox and the Mask".  In this story, the fox goes to the theater and encounters a scary mask, to whom he comments about being lovely, but not having any real brains, and then he is no longer afraid.   

The original Fable was very short, so I added a lot of new content, and based my writing off of the characteristics of the fox.  He thought he was tough, but he still has to learn lessons in life. 

Bibliography:  "The Fox and the Mask" from The Fables of Aesop Aesop's Fables