THE fox and his wife they had a great strife,
They never eat mustard in all their whole life;
They eat their meat without fork or knife,
And loved to be picking a bone, e-ho!
The fox jumped up on a moonlight night;
The stars they were shining, and all things bright;
Oh, ho! said the fox, it's a very fine night
For me to go through the town, e-ho!
The fox when he came to yonder stile,
He lifted his lugs and he listened a while!
Oh, ho! said the fox, it's but a short mile
From this unto yonder wee town, e-ho!
The fox when he came to the farmer's gate,
Who should he see but the farmer's drake;
I love you well for your master's sake,
And long to be picking your bone, e-ho!
The grey goose she ran round the hay-stack,
Oh, ho! said the fox, you are very fat;
You'll grease my beard and ride on my back
From this into yonder wee town, e-ho!
Old Gammer Hipple-hopple hopped out of bed,
She opened the casement, and popped out her head;
Oh! husband, oh! husband, the grey goose is dead,
And the fox is gone through the town, oh!
Then the old man got up in his red cap,
And swore he would catch the fox in a trap;
But the fox was too cunning, and gave him the slip,
And ran through the town, the town, oh!
When he got up to the top of the hill,
He blew his trumpet both loud and shrill,
For joy that he was safe
Through the town, oh!
When the fox came back to his den,
He had young ones both nine and ten,
"You're welcome home, daddy, you may go again,
If you bring us such nice meat
From the town, oh!"
(Nursery Rhyme)
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A poor family lived in a small town in London during the 1800's. The husband was a shoe maker and a good one at that. He would take his time and put all of his effort into making one pair of shoes. The people of the town used to love his work. Sadly, more people moved into the village who were also shoemakers. The worst part was was that they made them more quickly than the husband. One night, as the family sat down to dinner they ate on bread and condiments that they had been savoring for a week. To this site, the husband looked around at his wife and two young children and decided he needed to make a change. He excused himself form the table and walked out the door to behold the ambiance of the only light in the sky, the moon. He walked towards his neighbors who was far down the road and heard the cry of a goose causing his ears to perk up. Once the man snuck past the front of the house and hopped the fence to get into the back yard he grabbed hold of the goose by the neck. Noticing a light flickering in the window he swiftly took his kill and ran to the town incase his neighbors were chasing him. He stood on the hill and raised the limp and lifeless being in his hand and bellowed out a loud yelp to let everyone know he felt invincible. Once he collected himself and calmed down, he went back to his small house and handed his wife the duck. The woman looked down in awe at what was in her hands, almost like it was a rare gem. The children jumped around in glee for they didn't remember the last time they had eaten meat. The woman turned away from the cheering husband and children to prepare the duck. With a smirk, she softly uttered to herself as she cut the head of the goose off, "you sly fox."
Authors note: This story was based of the rhyme found in The Nursery Rhyme Book, edited by Andrew Lang, (1897). When I was looking at the nursery rhymes I immediately stopped on this story because I am obsessed with foxes. Not only that but while reading the story I got so many ideas, I just had to write about it. While reading the story, I thought about Robin Hood and how he stole money from the rich to give to the poor. The husband was not giving money to the poor but he was providing for his family so they both have good intentions for their wrong doing. I also incorporated the name of Robin Hood because the character for Robin Hood in the animated movie by Disney is a fox. I also incorporated some actions a fox would do or be described as like how the husbands ears pointed at a sound he heard, yelping and using the word sly.
Your story was very creative. I like how you incorporated the ties of the name Robin Hood into your story. My children and I have watched that particular Disney movie many times and he is a very sly character. I find foxes, and wolves too, to be fascinating creature as well. They are just so majestic and beautifully colored animals. Your story evoked many emotions in me too. I felt sad during the part about how the family didn't have much to eat and the dad was having a hard time providing for his family. I also felt relief for the family after the father had caught the goose, so his family could finally eat.
ReplyDeletePerfect ending. I always love a story that has a good ending. The last line "you sly fox" is so funny. I laughed at that. I love that you made this nursery rhyme your own with the family not being able to eat like they use to, and the Dad then feels a sense of accomplishment when he finally brings a meal home.
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