The Fox and the Grapes

A very hungry fox was walking beside a garden when she noticed a vine growing over a wooden frame. Several groups of ripe black grapes hung from it, looking fresh and full of juice.

The fox stopped and looked up. After searching for food for a long time, she seemed to have found a fine meal right above her head.

"Those grapes will be just what I need," she said.

She stood on her back legs and stretched as far as she could, but the grapes were too high. She jumped with her mouth open, hoping to catch the lowest group. Her teeth closed on nothing but air.

The fox stepped back and tried again, this time running towards the vine before jumping. She rose a little higher but still could not reach the fruit.

She moved to the other side of the wooden frame, hoping the grapes would be easier to reach from there. After looking carefully for a lower group, she jumped several more times. Every attempt ended the same way: the grapes remained above her, untouched.

At last, her legs felt weak, and she was breathing hard. Despite all her efforts, she was still hungry and deeply disappointed.

Yet the fox did not want to admit that she had failed. She turned her head away from the vine and lifted her nose.

"Those grapes are sour," she said."They are not as ripe as I thought. They would not make a good meal."

Then she walked away, leaving the ripe black grapes hanging where they had been.

It is easy to say that something is not worth having when we cannot get it.