Twistales

A crow had snatched a large piece of cheese from a window sill and was now perched securely on a high tree, about to enjoy her prize. A fox spied the dainty morsel in her beak and tried to think of a way to make it his.

“Oh crow,” he said, “how beautiful your wings are! How bright your eyes! How graceful your neck! Indeed, your breast is the breast of an eagle! Your claws I beg your pardon your claws are a match for all the beasts of the field. Oh, if only your voice were equal to your beauty, you would deserve to be called the queen of birds!”

Pleased by the flattery and chuckling as she imagined how she would surprise the fox with her caw, she opened her mouth-and out dropped the cheese, which the fox promptly snapped up. Then, right before he departed, he cried out to the crow, “You may indeed have a voice, but I wonder where your brains are.”

Old Learning: Whoever listens to the music of flatterers must expect to pay the piper.