The Fox and the Bird

Will you sing a good song for me?

The little red bird was rather proud of its latest find: a perfectly formed, crunchy brown seed, just right for its afternoon snack. It perched on its favorite branch of the old oak tree, the one that gave it the best view of the meadow below, and held its prize firmly in its beak.

Down on the ground, a scruffy little creature, more curious than cunning, had just woken from a nap. Its tummy rumbled. It stretched, yawned, and then its eyes landed on the red bird. More specifically, they landed on the delicious-looking seed in the bird's beak. Its tail began to wag, a sure sign its brain was whirring.

"Good day, friend!" the ground creature called up, trying its best to sound casual. "What a magnificent perch you have up there! And what a remarkably... shiny seed you possess!"

The bird puffed out its chest a little, pleased by the compliment. It chirped a happy "tweet!" carefully keeping the seed in place.

The ground creature continued, sidling closer to the base of the tree. "I was just thinking, how wonderfully melodious your songs are. I heard you earlier this morning, and it was simply delightful. A true artist, you are!"

The bird's heart swelled. It loved to sing, and compliments were rare from the ground-dwellers. It imagined itself on a grand stage, singing for a huge audience. It opened its beak, a tiny sliver, to let out a triumphant trill...

Plop!

The seed, of course, tumbled from its beak. It hit the grass with a soft bounce and rolled a tiny bit closer to the ground creature.

The bird gasped, flapping its wings in dismay. "My seed!"

The ground creature, however, was already there. It snatched up the seed, gave it a quick sniff, and then, with a mischievous twinkle in its eye, looked up at the distraught bird. "Oh dear, friend! It seems your artistry is so powerful, it even makes seeds want to fly!"

The bird could only glare. It knew it had been tricked. The ground creature swallowed the seed in one gulp, then gave a satisfied burp.

"Well," said the ground creature, dusting off its paws, "thank you for the delightful show! Perhaps next time, you'll save your beautiful singing for after you've enjoyed your snack."

And with a flick of its tail, the ground creature trotted off, leaving a much wiser, and slightly hungrier, bird on its branch, contemplating the true cost of flattery.

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