The Fox and the Black Pool

In a hollow where no reeds grew, a Fox found a pool blacker than the night around it. On its surface floated the image of a golden key.

“Take it,” said the water. “What is wisdom but the courage to reach?”

The Fox had heard warnings about the hollow, which made the key seem more valuable. He placed one paw in the pool.

The image vanished. The water climbed his leg like ink.

He ran to the river, then to the rain barrel, then to the miller’s trough. The stain did not fade. Wherever he stepped afterward, a black print appeared before his paw touched the earth.

At last he returned to the pool, but it showed no key—only a Fox who had already reached.