One cold winter day a large polar bear was wandering around looking for food when suddenly a fox carrying several fish in a bag passed him.
The bear was starving and felt his mouth water when he saw the succulent delicacy that the fox was going to eat. He raised his voice and asked:
– Hi friend! I see that you have been lucky and today you are dining like a queen… Where did you get that great loot?
The fox stopped short and with a carefree face said:
– Simple, friend, I just went fishing.
– To fish? But the lake is frozen!
The fox, who was very wise, explained it to him in a simple way so that he would understand.
– Friend, you don’t know! The lake is frozen on the surface but not on the bottom. Poke a hole in the ice with your claws and then try sticking the tail in the water. As soon as the fish see it, they will approach and grab onto it to nibble on it. When you notice that a few have been nibbled, give it a hard yank and you’re done.Fresh and abundant food for you!
– Wow, it does seem very easy! …
– It is, but I warn you that the water is very cold. You have to hold out as long as you can because the more fish stick to your tail the better the reward will be, but don’t overdo it either because the consequences can be dire. I would say five minutes maximum.
– Understood! Thank you very much for your help and your good advice.
– You’re welcome, friend, good luck!
The fox continued on its way and the great white bear quickened its pace to reach the lake as soon as possible. As he already knew, he found that there was no water but a huge white board that only served to skate or at most, to play for a while to throw stones and watch them bounce. Encouraged by the fox’s suggestion, he poked a hole with his paws, sat her huge butt on it, and dropped his long tail into the water.
– Brrrr, brrrr! How cold it is!
The bear felt the cold take over his entire body but he tried not to move a bit. Armed with patience, he waited and waited until the fish began to swirl by his tail. Immediately he noticed some very soft nibbles and he calculated that there were only ten or twelve fish.
– It seems that the plan works but I am very hungry and I need to catch at least three dozen. I’ll wait a little longer to see …
He let not five but ten minutes pass and the poor man could no longer bear the freezing temperature of the water, so he jumped up and gave a strong jerk. Unfortunately the tail had frozen like a stalactite of ice and broke off almost at the root.
Because he was too greedy, the polar bear did not eat that day, but what is really curious about this story is that since then, he and his fellow men have been born with very short and tiny tails.
