Story: The Lucky Fox

Author's Note:

I wrote this story based on several aspects of Chinese Fairy Tails-source:mThe Chinese Fairy Book, ed. by R. Wilhelm and translated by Frederick H. Martens (1921). I really enjoyed several themes from these tales and decided to incorporate them into one story about a clever fox. Fortune, Luck, Happiness and the use of animals are the points I opted to use in my own story. 

The Clever Fox

Story:

I woke up today and decided, "Fernley", I thought to myself, "today you must go out and find your luck." 

See, it had been so long since anything good happened to me. I was a talking fox, yet there was nothing for me! I lived in a hovel in the ground constantly running from hunters who think my pelt would be worth a lot of money because I can talk. There was no money left in my family, it had all spent while running and now I was poor and alone. 

So it was, I left my hovel and began walking. I climbed over mountains and swam rivers, I stopped at little villages along the way and worked a bit for food and shelter. I was forced to run many times from men who would try to take my skin but in all these adventures I did not find my luck. 

One morning I was walking along in the forest and ran into a very frightening animal, the panther. He was large and scary and I tried to run, but he caught me. 

"I heard you singing to yourself and knew I had to talk to you" the panther said to me. "I thought I was the only animal left who could talk and I was so excited to speak to you."

"YOU CAN TALK?!" I yelled, what great luck, another animal who could talk. I was so excited. 

"Yes, I can talk. I am so happy to meet you. What are you doing running around the forrest. It is very dangerous for talking animals." the panther said to me. 

"I am in search of my luck and fortune. My family was forced into hiding and lost their money." I told him. 

"The same thing has happened to me, would you mind if I accompanied you in your search for luck and fortune?" he asked. 

"That would be wonderful" I told him. 

So off we went in our quest. We crossed over the great mountain and when we made it to the other side we found a small town. 

In this town there were animals everywhere and they were all walking like humans, working, and carrying on conversations. 

We were not the last of the talking animals! There was much celebration when we arrived in the village and a great parade was arranged for they celebrated every new comer to the village. They all had traversed through great trials to arrive in safety, they understood the struggle of getting to safety. 

At the feast that evening I looked down the table and spotted the most lovely pair of brown eyes I had every seen. She was beautiful. I went over to speak with her, "Hello, I am Fernley."

"My name is Yùnqì. I am so happy you made it to our village."

I had always dreamed my luck and fortune would come with money and fame but instead it came with beautiful eyes and a new place to call home. All my dreams were fulfilled and my fortune changed from that day forward.