Once upon a time, there lived a fox and a crane. The fox lived in the forest, and the crane lived in the swamp.
One day, the fox and the crane met and became friends. One time, the fox decided to invite the crane over as a guest.
— Come to my place for lunch tomorrow, dear Crane!
— I'll definitely come! — replied the crane, delighted by the invitation.
From the morning, the fox was preparing to welcome his friend like a good host. He cleaned the house, set the table with plates, and cooked his favorite semolina porridge. Then he sat down and began to wait for his guest.
The crane arrived on time. The fox was delighted, running here and there to greet his guest. He seated him at the table, served the porridge into plates, and said:
— Eat, dear Crane, don't be shy. The porridge is ve-e-ery tasty! This is my favorite dish.
The crane pecked at the plate with his long beak:
— Tap-tap! Tap-tap!
But all his efforts were in vain: not a single drop of porridge entered the crane's mouth. The crane was offended, but he didn't show it.
— Thank you very much, dear Fox, for your hospitality, — he said. — I ate my fill. It's time to go home now. Tomorrow, I'll be expecting you for lunch at my house.
The next day, the fox came to the crane's house. The crane's house was not as neat and beautiful as the fox's house. The crane said, a little embarrassed:
— I live in a swamp. My house is much simpler than yours. But I've prepared a very tasty meal! My soup turned out delicious and aromatic; I've added fragrant herbs and river crayfish to it.
The crane placed two pitchers: one in front of the fox, and the other in front of himself.
— Eat, dear Fox, don't be shy!
The fox poked his nose into the narrow neck of the pitcher, but he couldn't taste either the crayfish or the fragrant herbs.
The crane, however, easily took out the crayfish and fragrant herbs by dipping his long beak into the pitcher.
The crane finished eating his soup and asked:
— Fox, are you full? Did you like the lunch?
— I'm full, I'm full! — barked the fox angrily and left the crane's house.
Thus, the friendship between the fox and the crane was short-lived. Because the friends hadn't truly known each other, nor had they been sincere and understanding.
