Read The Fox Who Devoured The Cloud Online
Once upon a time, in the high lands of Peru, there was a fox who was always hungry. He wandered through the fields from morning to evening, sniffing the ground, peering between the rocks, and looking under bushes for something to eat.
But that day he found nothing.
No berries.
No little creatures.
Not even a fallen fruit.
The sun was warm, and the fox’s stomach felt emptier with every step. At last he climbed a hill and sat down to rest.
—What a terrible day, he said. —I have walked and walked, and still I have found nothing.
He looked across the land with tired eyes.
Then, on the side of a nearby hill, he saw something white.
It was round and soft-looking, and from where he stood, it seemed to shine in the sunlight like a great piece of fresh cheese.
At once the fox jumped to his feet.
His ears stood up.
His eyes grew bright.
—Aha! he cried. —At last I have found a feast.
He licked his lips and hurried toward the white shape. As he came closer, it seemed even larger and softer than before.
—What luck, said the fox. —Today the hills themselves are feeding me.
Now, that white shape was not cheese at all.
It was a cloud.
It had floated low over the mountain and become caught upon the hilltop. It rested there quietly, cool and soft, while the wind slept.
But the fox did not know this.
He only saw what he wanted to see.
Without stopping to think, he opened his mouth wide and took a great bite.
To his surprise, the white thing was cold and damp.
Still, the fox was very hungry.
—Strange cheese is better than no cheese at all, he said.
So he bit again.
And again.
And again.
Soon he had swallowed the whole cloud.
At first he felt proud.
—No one has ever had a meal like mine, he said.
Then he felt something odd.
His belly began to grow.
It puffed out a little.
Then more.
Then more still.
The fox looked down and gasped.
—What is happening to me? he cried.
His stomach swelled like a round white bundle. His legs seemed lighter. His paws no longer felt steady on the ground.
A breeze began to move across the hill.
The fox tried to walk.
But instead of stepping forward, he felt himself lift ever so slightly.
Then another gust of wind came.
Up went the fox.
—Oh! he shouted. —Oh dear! This is not cheese at all!
Higher he rose, with his belly full of cloud and his tail waving in the air. He kicked his legs and twisted this way and that, but nothing helped.
The wind carried him above the hill.
Then above the fields.
Then above the trees.
From below, the animals looked up in amazement.
A rabbit stared with wide eyes.
—Is that a fox in the sky? he asked.
A bird fluttered past and chirped in surprise.
—It certainly looks like one, she said.
A group of llamas lifted their heads and watched him drift.
—How strange, said one. —He looks like a cloud shaped like a fox.
The fox heard them and groaned.
—I do not wish to be a cloud, he called. —I only wanted my lunch.
The wind pushed him farther and farther across the sky. At times he floated gently. At times he spun in little circles. He passed over rocky slopes, over grazing animals, and over a stream that glittered in the light.
At last he began to feel frightened.
—If only I had looked more carefully, he said. —If only I had not been so greedy.
Now, as he floated, the sun grew warmer and warmer. The cloud inside him began to change. Little by little, the puffiness in his belly grew lighter.
Then something else happened.
A few drops of water fell from beneath him.
Plip.
Plip.
Plip.
The fox looked down.
—What now? he asked.
More drops began to fall, sparkling in the sunlight. They landed on the dry ground below, on flowers, on stones, and on the leaves of small plants waiting for rain.
The fox drifted on, and the drops kept falling.
Soon, all across the hillside below, thirsty grass stood fresher and brighter. Tiny flowers lifted their heads. A farmer looked up from his field and smiled.
—At last, a little rain, he said.
The fox blinked in surprise.
Even in his trouble, he had brought something good.
The wind carried him a little farther, but now his belly was slowly shrinking. The cloud he had swallowed was turning into fine rain and mist.
Lower and lower he began to drift.
At last, with a soft bump, he landed on a grassy slope.
He lay there for a moment, dizzy and tired, while the last little drops fell around him.
Then he slowly stood up.
His legs trembled.
His tail was dusty.
His pride was much smaller than before.
A small bird landed on a stone nearby.
—Well, said the bird, —did you enjoy your meal?
The fox lowered his ears.
—No, he answered. —I was foolish. I saw something white and soft, and I thought only of eating it.
The bird tilted her head.
—And did you learn anything?
The fox looked at the sky, where a few white clouds still floated peacefully above the hills.
—Yes, he said. —Not everything that looks good is food. And hunger is a poor guide when one does not stop to think.
The bird gave a cheerful flutter.
—That is a good lesson, she said.
From that day on, the fox was still clever, still quick, and still curious. But whenever he saw something unusual on a hill or in a field, he did not leap at it at once.
First he looked.
Then he sniffed.
Then he thought.
And sometimes, when the people of the high lands saw a cloud shaped a little like a fox floating through the sky, they smiled and remembered the story of the greedy fox who devoured a cloud and rose into the air.
For this reason, the old people say that haste and greed may lead to trouble, but a hard lesson can still leave wisdom behind.
The end
