Once upon a time, in a lush green forest, there lived a little fox named Flick. Flick was a bright little creature, but he had one big fault: he was so greedy that he couldn’t bear to share his food with anyone else.
One sunny day, while Flick was out hunting for food, he suddenly caught sight of a big fat goose waddling along all by itself. Quickly, he ran up and snapped the goose from the ground and ran home with it. “Now I can begin to stock my larder,” he said to himself as he entered his storehouse and put the goose there.
After a while Flick’s friends, the Wolf, the Bear, and the Weasel, came to pay him a visit.
“Help yourself, friends,” said Flick, but he only pointed to the things that he could spare, while he alone kept all the best food for himself.
One day Flick had collected more food than usual. He packed it all round him, and he poked his head into the basket to see if he could reach that nut which lay at the very bottom. Just then the handle of the basket broke. Flick’s head was caught in the basket, and when he found he couldn’t get it out he rushed to the door and tried to squeeze himself through it.
But Flick couldn’t get out, and there he was, the laughing-stock of all the beasts of the forest for his greediness.
At last Flick’s friends came along and found him still trying to get out, but with no success.
“Oh, Mr. Greedy,” said Bear, “congratulations on your new basket.”
“Indeed, Master Bear, it is no laughing matter,” said Flick. “Kindly help me out of it, and I will see what I can do for you all.”
“We are in no hurry,” said Wolf.
“We can wait,” said Weasel.
“For my part,” said Bear, “I think he deserves to be kept awash till he is sorry for his greediness.”
And they all were about to go away when Flick called out, “Don’t go away, friends. You don’t know what it is to be caught like this; please help me out. My best friend’s feast is about to take place, and you must all cheer this time,” and putting his head into the basket again he finished the nut which he had begun.
“Very good, silly Flick,” said Fox. “Aren’t you glad to know that it is not I who will have the best of you?”
And so at last Flick learned that joy is in giving.