The Kolobok Who Learned to Listen

Once upon a time, in a small cottage at the edge of a great forest, there lived an old man and an old woman. One chilly morning, the old woman decided to bake a round bread roll — a kolobok. She gathered flour from the barn, eggs from the hen, sour cream from the cellar, and butter from the pantry. She mixed everything together, shaped it into a perfect golden ball, and placed it in the oven.

When the kolobok came out, it was so beautifully golden and warm that the old woman set it on the windowsill to cool. But the moment it touched the breeze, something magical happened — the kolobok opened its eyes, sprouted two little legs, and began to roll.

"Oh!" cried the old woman. "Come back!"

But the kolobok had already rolled off the windowsill and out the door, singing as it went:

"I'm round, I'm golden, fresh from the flame — no one can catch me, and no one's to blame!"

It rolled down the path and into the forest, where it soon met a rabbit sitting by a stream.

"Little kolobok," said the rabbit, "you look delicious. May I have a bite?"

"A bite of me?" laughed the kolobok. "I outran the old man and the old woman! You certainly won't catch me!" And it rolled away, singing its song.

Next, it encountered a bear napping beneath an old oak tree. The bear woke up, sniffed the air, and grinned.

"Oh, what a tasty little morsel," growled the bear. "Come here, and I'll swallow you whole."

"Swallow me?" the kolobok giggled. "I've already escaped the old man, the old woman, and a rabbit! A bear like you is no threat at all!" And it rolled on, singing proudly.

Further along the path, it met a fox sitting on a mossy stone, grooming its tail. The fox looked up with sharp, clever eyes.

"Well, well," said the fox softly. "What a lovely little kolobok. Tell me — is it true you've outrun everyone?"

"Of course!" the kolobok puffed up proudly. "No one in this forest can catch me!"

The fox smiled and tilted its head. "My, my. You must have a wonderful voice to sing so boldly. But I'm old and a little hard of hearing. Could you come just a tiny bit closer so I can hear your song properly?"

The kolobok hesitated. Something felt off. It looked into the fox's golden eyes — and for the first time, it paused.

Why is the fox asking me to come closer? Everyone else tried to chase me. The fox is doing something different.

The kolobok thought carefully. Then it shook its round little head and said:

"I appreciate the kind words, fox. But I've noticed something — you're not trying to catch me. You're trying to trick me. And I'd rather not find out what happens next."

The fox blinked, then let out a small laugh. "Clever little roll," it admitted. "You're the first one who ever saw through me."

"I've been running all day," said the kolobok. "And I've learned something along the way — being fast isn't everything. Knowing when to stop and think is what truly keeps you safe."

The fox nodded slowly. "Then you are wiser than most creatures in this forest."

The kolobok rolled gently back along the path, no longer singing loudly — but smiling quietly to itself. And when it finally returned to the little cottage, the old man and old woman welcomed it back with open arms.

From that day on, the kolobok never ran away again. It lived happily on the windowsill, and every evening, it told the old man and the old woman the story of the day it learned that the greatest escape isn't always about speed — sometimes, it's about wisdom.

The End.

For those who are not familiar with the original story, you can read the Ukrainian folk tale "Колобок" (Kolobok) — it is a well-known traditional tale about a round bread roll that escapes from the old man and old woman, outruns several forest animals, but is ultimately tricked by a cunning fox.