• The Fox and the Grapes

    Aesop's Fables
    One bright, sunny morning, a little fox named Pip was trotting through a vineyard. The sun was warm, and Pip's throat felt a bit dry. "Oh, for a juicy berry!" he thought.

    Suddenly, his sharp eyes spotted something wonderful. High up on a trellis, hanging in lovely bunches, were the most beautiful, plump, purple grapes he had ever seen. They looked so shiny and full of juice! "Yum!" Pip licked his lips. "Those look perfect!"

    He stood right underneath them and stretched his neck as far as it could go. But the grapes were just out of reach.
    "Hmm," said Pip. He backed up a little, took a running start, and JUMPED! His paws reached for the grapes, but he only brushed the lowest leaves.
    "Not high enough," he panted.

    Pip tried again. This time, he wiggled his tail, crouched low, and sprang up with all his might. WHOOSH! He flew through the air, but still, the grapes dangled just above his nose, teasing him.
    He tried jumping from a small rock nearby. He tried a little dance, hoping it might magically make him taller. But nothing worked. Those grapes stayed stubbornly high.

    After a few more tries, Pip was tired and a little cross. He looked up at the juicy grapes one last time. He twitched his nose and puffed out his chest.
    "Hmph!" he said, trying to sound like he didn't care at all. "I'm sure those grapes are sour anyway. Who would want sour grapes? Not me! They probably taste terrible."

    And with a flick of his tail, Pip trotted off down the path, trying very hard to convince himself that he hadn't really wanted those grapes after all.

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