The Fox Without a Tail
A free B1-level English story for language learners, readable online in 7 languages, with an option to listen via the free Storyteller app.
A fox who loses his tail in a trap tries to talk every other fox into cutting off theirs too — but one of them isn't fooled.
A fox once fell into a trap, and after a struggle managed to get free, but with the loss of his brush. He was then so much ashamed of his appearance that he thought life was not worth living unless he could persuade the other Foxes to part with their tails also, and thus divert attention from his own loss. So he called a meeting of all the Foxes, and advised them to cut off their tails: "They're ugly things anyhow," he said, "and besides they're heavy, and it's tiresome to be always carrying them about with you."
Una vez un zorro cayó en una trampa, y tras mucho forcejear logró escapar, pero perdió su cola. Quedó tan avergonzado de su aspecto que pensó que la vida no valía la pena a menos que pudiera convencer a los demás Zorros de deshacerse también de sus colas, y así desviar la atención de su propia pérdida. Así que convocó una reunión de todos los Zorros y les aconsejó que se cortaran la cola: «De todos modos son cosas feas», dijo, «y además pesan, y es fastidioso andar siempre cargando con ellas».
But one of the other Foxes said, "My friend, if you hadn't lost your own tail, you wouldn't be so keen on getting us to cut off ours."
Pero uno de los otros Zorros dijo: «Amigo mío, si no hubieras perdido tu propia cola, no estarías tan ansioso por hacer que nosotros cortemos las nuestras».
