The Monkey and the Fox
Once upon a time, lovable animals lived in the heart of a deep forest where golden yellow leaves whispered. In this forest there wandered a cunning fox that was proud of his long and furry tail. The showy tail of the fox waved like a flag whenever the wind blew and drew the attention of everyone. But a little monkey in the same forest lived shivering among the curved branches. The back of the monkey was completely bare, and whenever the cold wind blew the poor little creature trembled all over. On an autumn day the monkey saw the fox dragging his soft tail among the bushes.
The tail of the fox was so long that it touched the mud and the dust on the ground behind him. When the monkey saw this, he came near the fox at once and began to speak politely. “My dear friend, this huge tail of yours touches the ground and gets dirty,” said the monkey. “As for me, I do not even have a hair to cover my back; I do not know what to do with the cold,” he added. “If you give me a small piece of your tail, I will be saved from being cold,” he begged. “In this way your tail will not touch the ground either and will not get dirty,” he said, trying to persuade the fox.
The cunning fox stopped, looked at the monkey and lifted his nose into the air with pride. Swelling his fur, the fox answered with a harsh tone of voice. “Even if my tail is dragged in the mud and gets dirty, that is better than its being of use to you,” he said. “Even if it gathers the dust from the ground, I will not give you a single hair of it,” he added. Before these selfish and merciless words of the fox, the monkey did not know what to say. Helplessly he climbed to the high branches of the tree and went on grieving over his own state. Selfish people prefer to waste what is in their hands rather than share it with others. If we share we are full; if we split we are lost.