📖 Story
On a calm blue lake, among the green reeds, there lived a little duck named Bayda. Her feathers were as white as snow and her beak as yellow as the sun. She loved to swim, play with her brothers and sisters, and sing: "Quack, quack, quack!"
Every morning her mother said to her, "Bayda, play near the water, and don't go into the forest alone. And if you hear sweet words from a stranger, be careful, because not every sweet word is true."
In the nearby forest lived a sly fox with a long tail and shining eyes. He used to watch the ducks from afar and say to himself, "Ah! If only I could catch a nice plump duck for dinner!" But he couldn't swim, so he waited.
One day Bayda went out to the shore and sat on a rock, singing. The fox crept up quietly, stopped a little way off, gave a broad smile and said, "Good morning, most beautiful duck in the world!"
Bayda was pleased by the praise and said, "Good morning." The fox said, "What a sweet voice! I heard you from far away and thought a nightingale was singing! Your voice is lovelier than all the nightingales!"
Bayda puffed out her feathers with pride and said, "Really?" The fox said, "Really and truly! And today we're having a big singing party in the forest, and all the animals are waiting for a beautiful singer like you. Come with me, and you'll win the crown!"
Bayda got up and took a step towards the forest... then another step... then she stopped. She had remembered her mother's words: "Not every sweet word is true." She looked at the fox and saw his tongue moving and his sharp teeth gleaming.
Bayda thought quickly and said, "Thank you, Mr Fox. But a good singer doesn't go to a party without her band. Wait a moment, I'll call my mother, my brothers and sisters, and my uncle the big goose, so they can sing with me!"
When the fox heard the words "the big goose", he got scared, because geese are strong and strike hard with their wings. He stammered, "No, no... the party... the party has been put off to another day!" And he ran off into the forest with his tail between his legs.
Bayda jumped into the water and swam quickly to her mother and told her what had happened. Her mother hugged her under her wing and said, "Thank Allah you're safe, my little one. You nearly fell into the trap, but you remembered the advice and used your head."
Bayda said, "Mother, why did the fox praise me so much?" Her mother said, "Because a flatterer praises you to get something from you, not because he loves you. A true friend tells you the truth and wants what is good for you."
When her brothers and sisters came back from playing, Bayda told them the whole story. Her little brother said, "And if the fox came to me, what would I do?" Their mother said, "Stay near the water, call your family, and never go off with a stranger, however sweet his words." All the ducklings said together, "We'll never go off with a stranger!" Their mother laughed and counted them one by one: "One, two, three, four... and brave Bayda makes five!"
In the evening, all the ducks sat on the surface of the lake, and Bayda sang with her brothers and sisters: "Quack, quack, quack!" The frog and the fish applauded her. Her voice was ordinary, not like a nightingale's, but she was very happy, because she was singing among her family, who truly loved her.
The next morning Bayda saw the fox in the distance, hiding behind the reeds. She wasn't afraid. She swam to the middle of the lake with her brothers and sisters and sang loudly: "Quack, quack! We're all here together!" The fox knew his trick wouldn't work, so he went far away and never came back.
From that day on, whenever Bayda heard a lot of praise from a stranger, she would smile and say "Thank you", and then ask herself, "What does he want from me?"
Every morning her mother said to her, "Bayda, play near the water, and don't go into the forest alone. And if you hear sweet words from a stranger, be careful, because not every sweet word is true."
In the nearby forest lived a sly fox with a long tail and shining eyes. He used to watch the ducks from afar and say to himself, "Ah! If only I could catch a nice plump duck for dinner!" But he couldn't swim, so he waited.
One day Bayda went out to the shore and sat on a rock, singing. The fox crept up quietly, stopped a little way off, gave a broad smile and said, "Good morning, most beautiful duck in the world!"
Bayda was pleased by the praise and said, "Good morning." The fox said, "What a sweet voice! I heard you from far away and thought a nightingale was singing! Your voice is lovelier than all the nightingales!"
Bayda puffed out her feathers with pride and said, "Really?" The fox said, "Really and truly! And today we're having a big singing party in the forest, and all the animals are waiting for a beautiful singer like you. Come with me, and you'll win the crown!"
Bayda got up and took a step towards the forest... then another step... then she stopped. She had remembered her mother's words: "Not every sweet word is true." She looked at the fox and saw his tongue moving and his sharp teeth gleaming.
Bayda thought quickly and said, "Thank you, Mr Fox. But a good singer doesn't go to a party without her band. Wait a moment, I'll call my mother, my brothers and sisters, and my uncle the big goose, so they can sing with me!"
When the fox heard the words "the big goose", he got scared, because geese are strong and strike hard with their wings. He stammered, "No, no... the party... the party has been put off to another day!" And he ran off into the forest with his tail between his legs.
Bayda jumped into the water and swam quickly to her mother and told her what had happened. Her mother hugged her under her wing and said, "Thank Allah you're safe, my little one. You nearly fell into the trap, but you remembered the advice and used your head."
Bayda said, "Mother, why did the fox praise me so much?" Her mother said, "Because a flatterer praises you to get something from you, not because he loves you. A true friend tells you the truth and wants what is good for you."
When her brothers and sisters came back from playing, Bayda told them the whole story. Her little brother said, "And if the fox came to me, what would I do?" Their mother said, "Stay near the water, call your family, and never go off with a stranger, however sweet his words." All the ducklings said together, "We'll never go off with a stranger!" Their mother laughed and counted them one by one: "One, two, three, four... and brave Bayda makes five!"
In the evening, all the ducks sat on the surface of the lake, and Bayda sang with her brothers and sisters: "Quack, quack, quack!" The frog and the fish applauded her. Her voice was ordinary, not like a nightingale's, but she was very happy, because she was singing among her family, who truly loved her.
The next morning Bayda saw the fox in the distance, hiding behind the reeds. She wasn't afraid. She swam to the middle of the lake with her brothers and sisters and sang loudly: "Quack, quack! We're all here together!" The fox knew his trick wouldn't work, so he went far away and never came back.
From that day on, whenever Bayda heard a lot of praise from a stranger, she would smile and say "Thank you", and then ask herself, "What does he want from me?"
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