Page:The disobedient kids and other Czecho-Slovak fairy tales.pdf/12





Once upon a time, a little cock and a little hen went to the Giant Mountains to hunt for strawberries. On the way, they agreed to divide equally all the fruit they found. The little hen was the first to find a big berry and calling the little cock according to their agreement, each ate his half.

Then the little cock found a strawberry, not quite so luscious as the first, but most tempting, in fact so much so, that he said nothing about it to his little partner. Instead, he tried to gobble it down as fast as he could. But it stuck in his throat. He tried every means to get that berry down. He stretched out his neck, moved his head backwards and forwards, jumped up and dawn, shook himself, in fact tried every thing to make that berry go down. But there it stuck! He then began to show signs of great distress.