One day, a jackal was hunting among some rocks near a lake. He noticed that a heron was busy looking for frogs in the lake. After a while, the heron came near the bank of the lake. “What a long neck you have,” flattered the jackal, “What happens when the wind blows? Doesn’t it break in half?” “No, I lower it a little,” said the heron. “And when the wind blows harder.” “Then I lower it a little more,” said the heron, and she bent her neck. “And when it blows a real gale.” “I lower it right down to here,” said the silly bird, lowering her head right down to the bank’s edge. The jackal jumped up and grabbed the heron’s neck with such force that it bent. The heron was so frightened that she immediately flew away. From that day on, the heron has a bend in her neck.
The Heron’s Bent Neck
