The Rooster and the Hen

A rooster and a hen went to the hazel grove to gather ripe nuts. The rooster climbed onto a sturdy branch and dropped nuts down, while the hen put them in a…

A rooster and a hen went to the hazel grove to gather ripe nuts. The rooster climbed onto a sturdy branch and dropped nuts down, while the hen put them in a wicker basket. The work was cheerful: leaves rustled, the basket grew heavier little by little, and the friends were already imagining winter tea with nut pies.

One nut bounced off a branch, struck the rim of the basket and tipped it over. Nuts rolled across the grass, and the startled hen sat down on the soft moss. The rooster hurried down, made sure his friend was not hurt and helped her up. Instead of quarrelling, they decided to find out why the branch had swayed so much.

The hazel explained that goats had recently eaten its lower branches, making the upper branch lose its balance. The goats admitted they had wandered into the hazel grove while the herders were repairing a broken gate. The herders explained why the repair had taken so long: they had missed breakfast that morning and quickly grown tired.

The woman of the house had planned to make pancakes, but a piglet had accidentally bumped the bowl of batter. He was hurrying to the window because he had noticed a hungry young wolf by the fence. The wolf had not meant to frighten anyone: he had simply followed the smell of food, but had not dared ask for something to eat. So one small accident had set off a whole chain of events.

Together they mixed fresh batter and cooked a tall stack of pancakes. The young wolf was given a warm pancake, the goats were led to a meadow of juicy grass, and the herders ate and repaired the gate. The rooster fastened a wide basket beneath the branch, while the hen gathered the scattered nuts. By evening the friends went home with a basket full of nuts. They agreed that in future they would first ask who needed help, and only then look for someone to blame.