Dicky Duck was a very wise young male duck. He had been swimming alone in the pond long before his brothers left their mother, and he caught so many worms and insects that all his younger duck brothers were green with envy.
But one day, Dicky Duck almost lost his life by thinking he was so wise that he knew everything. He swam all the way around the pond until he reached the forest. And there was Mr. Fox, hidden behind some bushes…
Dicky Duck didn’t get close enough to Mr. Fox for the fox to catch him, but Mr. Fox could see that he was a nice, plump duck, and that made his fox eyes sparkle with desire for a tasty snack.
“Ah,” sighed the Fox as Dicky Duck swam by, “if only I had a wise person to ask some things! I’m too boring and dumb to know anything myself.”
When Dicky Duck heard the word “wise,” he was sure that the Fox meant him. After all, wasn’t he the wisest duck there was, especially for his size and age? So he stopped swimming and looked around.
Mr. Fox had now hidden himself very well under the bushes. Even the tip of his nose was not visible, and he spoke very weakly, as if he were a very small animal.
“Who’s there looking for a wise person?” asked Dicky Duck.
“Oh, a poor little creature called an Eatyoup animal,” replied Mr. Fox, laughing so hard at his own joke that he could hardly speak. “I’m very stupid and don’t know much, and I have no wise friends either.”
Dicky Duck had never heard of an Eatyoup animal, but he certainly wasn’t going to let anyone think there was something he didn’t know. So he swam closer and said, “Well, I am very wise, and if you want to know something, ask me. Come out so I can see you, and then we can talk better.” He tried to catch a glimpse of the new animal the whole time, but Mr. Fox was wise too and had no intention of being seen.
“Oh, my dear friend. I would hate to show my miserable little self to such a big, beautiful creature like you,” said the Fox. “It’s bad enough that you know I’m stupid, but if you come closer, you can hear what I want to ask you.”
Dicky Duck was brave and came closer because what did he have to fear from such a small creature as the Eatyoup animal? So he swam to the edge of the pond, and then Mr. Fox jumped out of the bushes and almost grabbed the duck.
If Dicky Duck hadn’t used his wings instead of his feet, he wouldn’t have escaped the Fox… But he quickly flew to the middle of the pond and swam for his life. By the time Mr. Fox was in the water, he decided, since the farm wasn’t far away, not to risk his life further, so he flew on with flapping wings.
When Dicky Duck reached the farmyard, he told all the chickens and the rooster about the strange animal he had seen, that it was called an Eatyoup animal, and that, although it had a very weak voice, it was almost as big as the big dog Rover.
Of course, everyone thought Dicky Duck had become even wiser than ever before when he told this story. But from now on, he was much more careful and didn’t swim near the forest anymore. Although he had told the chickens and the rooster that he had seen an Eatyoup animal, he was actually quite certain that he had met Mr. Fox…
