A poor farm worker lived with his family, and kept a hundred and thirty one chickens.
The chickens laid enough eggs to keep the family going, and to sell the surplus to the villagers, even though at times it was tough.
One night, a fox noticed the unprotected chickens, caught one, and took it home to his family. The farmer didn’t notice.
The next night, the fox came back with his wife, and took two. And still the farmer didn’t notice.
And for the next five nights, the fox came back with more and more of his family members, doubling the amount they took each night, until there was just one chicken left.
The farm worker was beside himself with grief and worry. Not only could he not feed his family with eggs, but he couldn’t sell any to the village, either, which meant that he had no money to buy other things.
Eventually, the fox noted the farm worker sobbing in his field and, not being a bad sort, he wanted to help.
‘I shall bring the farm worker a present,’ said the fox. So the next night, not only did he leave the last remaining chicken undisturbed, but he also brought along the head of the last chicken that he had eaten, as a gift, and left it prominently by the hen house.
‘That will make him happy,’ said the fox, as he trotted back through the undergrowth towards his den.
The next morning the fox went down to the edge of the farm, so that he could watch the farm worker’s happiness. He saw him leave the house, and put on his boots. He saw him walk over to the henhouse, holding a teacup in which to collect the one egg that might be there. He saw him look down at the dismembered chicken head by the hen house, and he waited to see him happy.
Suddenly, the farm worker threw back his head and howled with hysterical laughter. Tears rolled down his face, too, but all the fox saw and heard was the laughter.
‘See,’ he said to no one in particular. ‘I have made him happy. That is good. Tonight, I shall come back and eat the last chicken, and make him happy again.’
*
In other, unrelated news, Amazon have announced a gift of £250,000 to support what is left of the British independent bookseller’s industry, the equivalent of someone with total assets of £250,000 themselves giving £0.48p to a good cause. Hopefully, it will make them happy, a bit like the farmworker in the last story.
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