Little Hen was scratching in the front yard when she found an empty paper bag lying open. She stuck her head inside. The shining sun made it all brown orange light that dappled as clouds passed overhead. It was very warm and inviting. Little Hen managed to work her way into the bag, turn around, plop herself down and with a contented sigh, promptly fell asleep.

The day passed and Little Hen slept right through it. Slept right through all the other hens heading to the chicken coop. It was dark night when Little Hen awoke. “Oh my, what happened to the nice light and warm paper bag? It’s black in here. I can’t see, and I’m getting cold!”

Just then Little Hen heard a sniffing outside the bag. Desperate to cluck in fright, she stayed quiet. The sniffing approached. Suddenly there was a great wolf snout sticking into the bag! Little Hen couldn’t help herself and squawked out loud. That made Wolf laugh.

“It looks like someone prepared a nice tasty brown bag lunch for me. What a thoughtful idea.” Little Hen quailed with fear. She had to escape.

“Mr. Wolf, you’re making a big mistake! I’m no ordinary chicken, I’m a magic chicken. I can grant you a wish if you let me go!”

“A real wish?” asked Wolf.

“Yes!” said Little Hen.

“Prove it!” said Wolf.

“But there’s only one,” said Little Hen, “and if I prove it, you won’t get your wish!”

“Well, that’s a dilemma,” said the Wolf. “I’m going to have to think about it.”

Little Hen could feel the Wolf pick up the bag in its mouth. The Wolf started walking along. Little Hen had to think fast.

“Mr. Wolf, don’t walk away! My magic is strongest nearest the chicken coop!”

Wolf replied, “I like to walk while I think, and I’m thinking about this dilemma.”

Finally, Wolf stopped walking. He put the bag down on the ground. “I’ve made up my mind. I’m going to let you out and I’ll get my wish.” Little Hen’s heart leapt when she heard those words! The moment Wolf opened the bag she was going to fly up into the nearest tree and roost there until dawn.

She felt the bag open. She ran out as fast as she could, right into the Wolf’s mouth, who was lying on the ground with his mouth enclosing the bag. Snicker-snack, the Wolf gobbled up the little Hen and licked his lips.

“What do you know? She was magic! I wished for a nice little Hen to eat, and my wish came true! Now if she had offered me three wishes …” And the Wolf laughed to himself and slipped into the forest like a shadow.

The moral is when you lie to save your life, lie big. alt moral: if you take a nap don’t look like lunch.