In a winter forest the nights were long and dark. One evening a fox took the woodcutter's lantern from the nail by his hut. He carried it to his den, very proud. Nobody else had a light.
The other animals stumbled in the dark. The hedgehog fell into a ditch, and the owl hit a branch. The fox heard them, but he did not share.
After three nights the light felt small in the den. On the fourth night the oil ran out, and it was darker than before.
In the morning the ashamed fox put the cold lantern at the woodcutter's feet. "It was thirsty," said the woodcutter. He filled it with oil and hung it at the crossroads, where every animal could see it. All winter the fox sat under it with the others.
