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Fox's Warm Bargain

an Argentine Folk Tale retold by Dr. Mike Lockett, The Normal Storyteller

Not very long ago two little Viscachas lived in the grasslands on the papmas of Argentina.  The Viscascas were rodents like their cousins, the mice, but they were about the same size as small rabbits.

The two little Viscachas were good friends.  They were amigos (friends.)  They did almost everything together.  The played together.  They shared everything with each other.  If one found a nut to eat, both gnawed until the nut was gone.  It was very pleasant to live on the great pampas of Argentina.  The day times were comfortable.  The two friends had enough to eat and enough to drink.  The only problem they had was that at times the night air bcame very cold.  When the wind blew, both Viscachas shivered throughout the night.

One day as they scampered about, they saw something red caught on the bush ahead of them.  They went up the red object and saw it was not one object - but two.  Two pieces of a red blanket had either been thrown away by someone or had blown away in the Argentine wind and had been caught in the bushes near where they lived.

"This is a treasure," said one Amigo to the other.  "A blanket to keep us warm at night."

"A better treasure if the blanket was still sewn together instead of torn into two parts," his friend reminded him.  "Some Indian must have forgotten it or thrown it out because it was torn."

"There must be some way we can fix it," said the first amigo.  "It is not big enough to keep either of us warm right now."

As the two amigos sat sniffing the air and wondering what to do with their treasure, Senor Fox came along.  He had a long nose and a long tail and a crafty brain.

"Buenos Dias, Amigos. Good day, friends," said the Fox.  "What have you here?"

"We have found a treasure," both answered at once.  "We found a blanket that can keep us warm on cold nights.  But it is too small for either of us unless we can find a way to sew it back together."

"You are in luck," said the crafty Fox.  "I happen to own a needle and thread that you may use if you will let me share your warm blanket on cold nights."

Senor Fox loaned the two Viscaschas the needle and thread and watched them sew the blanket together.   He took his needle back and went on his way.  The two amigos were so happy.  They ran about in the warm sunshine during the day finding bits of food and playing games together.  Then night came.  A cold wind started to blow over the pampas.  The two Viscachas ran to where they had their blanket stored and saw Senor Fox coming towards them. 

"Remember the bargain we had?" he asked.  I gave you my needle and thread to sew up your fine red blanket, and you promised that I could share it on cold nights."

"Si (yes)," they told him.  "Es Verdad!  (That is true!)"  They welcomed him to come under the blanket and get warm.

Then Fox said, " Since my thread sewed up the middle of the blanket, I should sleep in the middle."  He crawled right under the middle part of the blanket and left the two Vischas under the outside edges of the blanket.  The side of them next to the Fox was warm.  But, their other side was cold and uncomfortable.

It seems that only Senor Fox got a warm bargain out of their agreement.  They were still left out in the cold.  So, look out if a Fox ever tries to make a bargain with you.  You can be sure he will get the warm bargain, while you will be left out in the cold.

Note: A good source for tales from South America is The King of the Mountains, A Treasury of Latin American Folk Stories, written in 1960 by M.A. Jagendorf and R.S. Boggs.  The two collected more than five dozen tales from across Central and South America and retold them for the children of the world.