The Fox and the Geese (Grimm)
Division into chapters is editorial.
The foxs arrival and threat to the geese
One day, a fox wandered into a peaceful meadow where he discovered a flock of plump, well-fed geese resting together. The sight of these birds filled him with predatory satisfaction, and he smiled with cunning delight at his good fortune. The fox approached the unsuspecting birds and addressed them with mock politeness, declaring his perfect timing for such an encounter.
I come in the nick of time, you are sitting together quite beautifully, so that I can eat you up one after the other.
The fox's announcement of his deadly intentions immediately threw the peaceful flock into chaos. Upon hearing these terrifying words, the geese reacted with pure terror and desperation. They began cacking loudly, springing up from their resting positions in panic, and started wailing pitifully as they begged the fox to spare their lives. Their pleas fell on deaf ears, however, as the fox remained unmoved by their distress.
The fox coldly dismissed their desperate appeals for mercy, firmly declaring that no compassion would be shown and that their fate was sealed. He made it clear that death was inevitable for all of them, showing no sympathy for their plight or their obvious fear.
The geeses plea for time to pray
Faced with certain death, one of the geese summoned courage and stepped forward to address the fox directly. This brave bird acknowledged their helpless situation and the inevitability of their fate, but made a final, desperate request. The goose appealed to whatever sense of fairness the fox might possess, asking for one last favor before their execution.
If we poor geese are to yield up our vigorous young lives, show us the only possible favour and allow us one more prayer, that we may not die in our sins
The goose continued by proposing a practical arrangement that would benefit both parties. In exchange for being granted time to pray and cleanse their souls, the geese promised to arrange themselves in an orderly row, making it easier for the fox to select and consume the fattest among them. This proposal appealed to the fox's sense of efficiency and his desire for the choicest meals.
The fox considered this request and found it both reasonable and appropriately pious. He appreciated what seemed to be a sensible final wish from his intended victims. With apparent magnanimity, he granted their request and told them to proceed with their prayers, assuring them that he would wait patiently until they had finished their religious observances before beginning his feast.
Yes, said the fox, that is reasonable, and a pious request. Pray away, I will wait till you are done.
With the fox's permission secured, the geese prepared to begin their final prayers, believing they had bought themselves only a brief reprieve before their inevitable doom.
The endless prayer that saves the geese
What began as a final religious ritual quickly transformed into an ingenious survival strategy. The first goose started her prayer with great solemnity, but instead of offering a brief, conventional prayer, she began an extraordinarily long and repetitive invocation. She continued endlessly, repeating the same sounds over and over without any sign of concluding her spiritual appeal.
Then the first began a good long prayer, forever saying, Ga! Ga! and as she would make no end, the second did not wait until her turn came, but began also, Ga! Ga!
Seeing the effectiveness of this strategy, the other geese quickly joined in without waiting for their individual turns. The third and fourth geese followed the example of the first two, and soon the entire flock had joined together in a continuous, cacophonous chorus of prayer. Their collective voices created an unending wall of sound that showed no signs of stopping.