St Thomas More's Catholic School Newstead
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125 Abbott Street
Newstead TAS 7250
Subscribe: https://stmcpsnewstead.schoolzineplus.com/subscribe

Email: stm@catholic.tas.edu.au
Phone: 03 6337 7200

Reflection

THE FOX THAT LOST HIS TAIL

Once upon a time, there lived an old woman. One day, she milked her goat, set the pail down, and went to fetch some firewood to boil the milk.

A fox happened by, and, seeing the pail, stuck his head inside and lapped up every last drop. Just as he was finishing, the old woman returned. Furious, she grabbed her chopper and, before the fox could escape, chopped off his tail.

The fox ran to a boulder, crouched on it, and began to plead:
"Old lady, old lady, give me back my tail! I’ll fix it in place again, and then I’ll be able to return to my brethren—otherwise, they will make fun of me for having no tail!"

The old woman replied, “Give me back my milk, and I’ll give you back your tail.”

And so, the fox set off in search of milk.

He ran to the cow and pleaded, “Cow, kind Cow, please give me some milk! I’ll take it to the old woman, and she’ll give me back my tail.”

The cow answered, “Bring me some grass!” So, the fox went to the field.

"Field, my beautiful Field, please give me some grass! I’ll take it to the cow, and the cow will give me some milk. I’ll take the milk to the old woman, and she’ll give me back my tail."

The field replied, “Fetch me some water!” So, the fox went to the stream.

"Stream, dear Stream, please give me some water! I’ll take it to the field, the field will give me some grass, the cow will give me some milk, and the old woman will give me back my tail."

The stream answered, “Bring me a jug!” So, the fox went to a young maiden.

"Maiden, fair Maiden, please give me your jug! I’ll take it to the stream, and the stream will give me some water… and, in the end, I’ll get my tail back!"

The maiden replied, “Bring me some pretty beads!” So, the fox went to the peddler.

"Peddler, kind Peddler, please give me some pretty beads! I’ll take them to the maiden, and she’ll give me her jug…"

The peddler answered, “Bring me an egg!” So, the fox went to the hen.

"Hen, my dear little Hen, please give me an egg!"

The hen clucked, “Bring me some grain!” So, the fox ran to the thresher.

"Thresher, kind Thresher, please give me some grain!"

The thresher took pity on the fox and handed him a handful of grain.

With the grain, the fox convinced the hen to give him an egg. With the egg, he got the beads from the peddler. The beads won him the jug from the maiden. The jug earned him water from the stream. The water got him grass from the field. The grass pleased the cow, and she gave him milk.

Finally, the fox returned to the old woman with the milk. True to her word, she gave him back his tail. He fixed it in place, and off he ran to rejoin his brethren—none of whom made fun of him.

Mr Casimir Douglas

Monday 24th February, 2025

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