In the dry inland plains of Al Dhafra and the rocky foothills of the Hajar Mountains, wells were lifelines carved into unforgiving land. Animals and people alike depended on them, and many stories were told around campfires to teach the young how to survive in a harsh environment where a single careless step could mean disaster.
One such story tells of a fox, quick-witted, smooth-tongued, and always thinking ahead, though not always wisely.
One afternoon, as the sun burned high and the air shimmered with heat, the fox wandered the countryside in search of food and water. Distracted by his own thoughts and careless in his steps, he failed to notice the stone-lined opening of a deep well hidden among the scrub. Before he could stop himself, the ground vanished beneath his paws, and he tumbled down into the darkness.
The fall did not break his bones, but when he looked up, the walls were too smooth and steep to climb. At the bottom of the well lay a pool of clear, cool water. The fox drank his fill, but once his thirst was quenched, fear crept in. The sun moved slowly across the sky, and no matter how he jumped or clawed, he could not escape.
As evening approached, fate, or perhaps folly, sent another traveler his way.
A goat wandered by, her tongue dry and her throat burning. She had traveled far and smelled water drifting up from the well. Peering over the edge, she spotted the fox below.
“Friend fox,” she called down, “is the water good?”
The fox’s sharp eyes gleamed. Though trapped, his mind was already at work. Instead of warning the goat, he spoke warmly and with delight.
“Good?” he said. “It is the sweetest water I have ever tasted. Cool and refreshing beyond words. I have never known such relief.”
The goat hesitated only a moment. Thirst clouded her judgment, and she did not ask how the fox planned to get out.
Without further thought, she leapt into the well.
She drank deeply, satisfied at last, until she noticed the fox watching her with a strange, calculating calm.
“Now,” she said, “how shall we get out?”
The fox smiled. “Why, you have already provided the answer,” he replied smoothly. “Stand on your hind legs. I will climb upon your back, then step onto your horns, and leap free. Once I am out, I will help you.”
Trusting his words, the goat did as he asked. In a swift motion, the fox scrambled up her back, sprang onto the rim of the well, and landed safely on solid ground.
Free at last, he shook the dust from his fur.
“Wait!” cried the goat. “What about me?”
The fox looked down, his expression no longer kind. “If you had as much sense in your head as you have beard on your chin,” he said, “you would never have jumped in without first thinking of how to get out.”
With that, he turned and walked away, leaving the goat alone in the well to face the consequences of her haste.
And so the story ends, as many desert stories do, not with rescue, but with a lesson remembered long after.
Moral Lesson
This folktale warns against acting on impulse and trusting smooth words without reflection. In a land where survival depends on foresight, wisdom must come before desire.
Knowledge Check
1. Where is this folktale traditionally told?
Across the inland Al Dhafra region and the Hajar Mountains of the UAE.
2. Why did the fox fall into the well?
Because he was careless and did not watch where he stepped.
3. What tempted the goat to jump into the well?
Her thirst and the fox’s praise of the water.
4. How did the fox escape the well?
By using the goat’s back and horns to leap out.
5. What mistake did the goat make?
She failed to think ahead and question how to escape.
6. What lesson does the story teach?
The importance of caution, critical thinking, and foresight.
Cultural Source
Source: Documented in Ahmed Al Bousmeit’s Popular Proverbs and Tales from the Emirates, along with other Emirati oral folklore collections.
