In a land filled with sunshine and giggling streams, lived a King who had a very special problem. In his garden grew an apple tree, but not just any apple tree! This one grew apples made of pure, sparkling gold. Every morning, one golden apple would be ripe, but then, poof! The next morning, it would be gone.

The King was puzzled. "Who is nibbling my golden apples?" he wondered.
First, his oldest son, who thought he was very clever, said, "I'll watch tonight, Father!" But as soon as the moon came out, zzzzz, he was fast asleep. No apple.
Next, the second son, who thought he was very strong, declared, "My turn!" But he too, snore, snore, snore, fell asleep. Still no apple.
Finally, the youngest son, whom everyone thought was a bit of a dreamer, said quietly, "May I try, Father?"

The King sighed, but said, "Alright." The youngest son sat under the tree. He pinched himself to stay awake. Just as the clock struck midnight, whoosh! A bird, shining like a tiny sun, swooped down and plucked an apple. The prince quickly shot an arrow. He didn't hit the bird, but one tiny, golden feather floated down.

The King saw the feather. "I must have that Golden Bird!" he boomed.
The oldest son puffed out his chest. "I'll get it!" Off he went. Soon, he met a little red fox. "Good day!" said the fox. "I know where the Golden Bird is. Go to the village ahead. You'll see two inns. Choose the small, shabby one, not the big, fancy one." The oldest son scoffed. "A shabby inn? Nonsense!" He went to the fancy inn, ate too much, and forgot all about the bird.

The second son tried next. Same fox, same advice. "A talking fox? How silly!" He also chose the fancy inn and failed.

Then, the youngest son set off. He met the fox. "Hello, Mr. Fox!" he said politely. The fox repeated his advice. The youngest son listened carefully. "Thank you, Mr. Fox. I'll do as you say." He went to the shabby inn. It was cozy, and he slept well.

Next morning, the fox was waiting. "Hop on my tail!" he said. Zoom! They arrived at a castle made of gold. "The Golden Bird is in a wooden cage," said the fox. "Take the bird, but leave it in the wooden cage. Don't put it in the golden cage beside it."
The prince found the bird. It was so beautiful! And the golden cage looked so much nicer. "Just for a moment," he thought, and swapped the cages. Clang! Bang! Alarms went off!

The King of the Golden Castle appeared. "Thief! For this, you must bring me the Golden Horse that runs faster than the wind!"
The prince was sad, but the fox said, "Don't worry." Zoom! They went to another castle. "The Golden Horse is in the stable," said the fox. "Use the old leather saddle, not the shiny golden one."
The prince found the horse. It was magnificent! And the golden saddle looked perfect. "Just to try," he thought, and put it on. Neigh! Whinny! Alarms!

The King of that castle stormed out. "To pay for your mistake, bring me the most beautiful Princess from the Golden Palace by the sea!"
The fox sighed but helped again. Zoom! At the palace, the fox said, "The Princess will be walking in the garden. When she comes with you, don't let her say goodbye to her parents."
The Princess was lovely and agreed to go. But as they left, she begged, "Oh, just one moment to say farewell!" The prince, being kind, agreed. Uh oh! Her father, the King, woke up!

This King was furious! "In seven days, you must remove that huge mountain blocking my view, or else!"
The prince was terrified. But the fox said, "Sleep now." For seven days, the fox dug and pushed and puffed, and poof! The mountain was gone.

Now they had the Princess! The fox cleverly helped them get the Golden Horse too. They rode to the King who wanted the horse, showed him the Princess, and while he was admiring her, the prince and Princess jumped on the Golden Horse and galloped away! Then, they went to the King who wanted the Golden Bird. They offered him the Golden Horse, and while he was busy with it, the fox helped the prince snatch the Golden Bird (in its wooden cage this time!) and they all escaped.

As they neared home, the fox said, "My dear friend, I must leave you. But first, please do me a favor. Shoot me, and cut off my head and paws."
The prince was horrified. "Never! You're my best friend!"
"Then promise me two things," said the fox sadly. "Be very careful who you trust on your way home, and never, ever sit on the edge of a well." The prince promised.

The prince, the Princess, the Golden Horse, and the Golden Bird continued. Soon, they met the two older brothers, who were very jealous. "Oh, little brother, you look so tired!" they said. "Come, rest by this well."
Forgetting the fox's warning for a moment, the tired prince sat on the edge. Splash! His brothers pushed him in! They grabbed the Princess, the horse, and the bird, and hurried to their father.

"We rescued them!" they lied. But the Princess cried all day. The Golden Horse wouldn't eat. The Golden Bird wouldn't sing a note.
Meanwhile, the little fox hadn't gone far. He heard a splash and knew what happened! He helped the prince climb out of the well.

The prince, though muddy, rushed to the castle. As he entered, the Golden Bird burst into song! The Golden Horse whinnied and ate! The Princess smiled for the first time in days!
"It's him!" she cried. The King understood everything.

The wicked brothers were sent far away to think about what they'd done. The youngest prince and the beautiful Princess planned a grand wedding.
Just before the party, the fox appeared. "Now, will you do it?" he asked. The prince, with a heavy heart, knew he must. He quickly and gently did as the fox asked.
Poof! The fox turned into a handsome young man! "I am the Princess's brother!" he exclaimed. "A wicked witch turned me into a fox, and only you could break the spell!"
And so, everyone celebrated, and they all lived happily, with lots of singing, neighing, and golden apples, for a very long time.

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