It happened once upon a time that a hungry wolf was searching for anything to fill the gnawing emptiness within, and his nose and ears led him through the forest to a cottage where a small child was crying.

As he lifted his nose hopefully toward the window, he heard a woman inside scolding the child, saying, “Stop your crying at once, or I will throw you to the wolves!”

“Well, well!” the wolf said to himself, “this is a stroke of luck. Little ones always cry, so it’s only a matter time before this one is delivered to me!” Therefore, he found a place to hide nearby, and waited.

Towards evening, though, he heard the woman speaking again, now in a softer voice. “Come here, little treasure, and let me hold you. And don’t worry about the wolf. If he shows his muzzle around here, your Papa will take the gun and kill him.”

Disgusted, the wolf got up and quickly faded into the shadows of the forest. “Is there anything as untrustworthy as a human?” he said to himself. “You can’t believe a word they say!”