Twistales

A shepherd boy, who tended his flock not far from a village, used to amuse himself at times by crying out “Wolf! Wolf!” His trick succeeded two or three times and the whole village came running to his rescue. However, the villagers were simply rewarded with laughter for their pains. One day the wolf really…

The peach and the apple decided to have a contest to determine which one was more beautiful than the other. However, when tempers flared and the competition appeared to be getting out of hand, a blackberry thrust his head from a nearby bush and cried out, “This disputes gone on long enough. Let’s all be…

A crow, on the verge of dying with thirst, saw a pitcher in the distance and flew to it with joy. But when he arrived, he discovered to his grief that it contained so little water that he couldn’t possibly get at it, despite all his efforts. At one point he decided to turn the…

A lion was sleeping in his lair when a mouse mistakenly ran over the mighty beast’s nose and awakened him. The lion grabbed the frightened little creature with his paw and was just about to crush him when the mouse began pleading for mercy and declared that he had not consciously intended to offend the…

A one-eyed doe used to graze near the sea, and in order to protect herself from attack, she kept her eye focused on the land in case hunters might approach, while her blind side was turned toward the sea because she did not expect a threat from that direction. But some sailors came rowing by…

A woodsman went into the forest and petitioned the trees to provide him a handle for his axe. It seemed so modest a request that the principal trees granted it right away, and they declared that the plain homely ash should furnish what he needed. No sooner had the woodsman fitted the staff for his…

One day the lion, the ass, and the fox went hunting together, and it was agreed that whatever they caught would be shared between them. After killing a large stag, they decided to have a hearty meal. The lion asked the ass to divide the spoils, and after the ass made three equal parts, he…

Two friends were travelling on the same road together when they encountered a bear. Without thinking about his companion, one of the travellers, a nimble fellow, climbed up a tree in great fear and hid himself. The other realized that he had no chance to fight the bear single-handedly, so he threw himself on the…

A blind man could distinguish any kind of animal simply by touching it. One time, some friends wanted to test him and brought him a wolf’s whelp. After feeling it all over, the blind man was not entirely certain about the animal, and he said, “I’m not sure whether your father was a dog or…

A fox, who was hard pressed by some hounds during a hunt, approached a man who was cutting wood, and begged him to provide him with a hiding place. The man pointed to his own hut, and the fox crept inside and concealed himself in a corner. Soon the hunters arrived and asked the man…