The Impressive Safe
Mr. Wolf’s school had closed, leaving the puppies, monkeys, and fox cubs with nothing to do, so they wandered around all day. After roaming the streets, they would head to their classmates’ homes.
This meant that Mrs. Pig’s house always had a bunch of kids looking for Hili Huhu to play with. They loved going to Hili Huhu’s house because, no matter how wild they got, Mrs. Pig never got mad at them.
At most, she would say, “Keep it down a bit, or Mrs. Duck will get upset—she says the noise makes it hard for them to lay eggs.”
They loved to hang out with Hili Huhu also because he was honest and never bullied his classmates.
The fox shopkeeper from the pastry shop was Ding Ding’s father. Ding Ding’s house was particularly big and had lots of toys, but the fox shopkeeper wouldn’t allow the kids to visit. Ding Ding complained, “Why do you tell me to ‘stop wandering the streets and play at a classmate’s house’?”
The shopkeeper explained to his son, “Their family doesn’t have as much money.”
Ding Ding continued to protest, “Your money is all locked in the safe! That safe is…”
He didn’t finish his sentence. He knew very well how impressive that safe was!
His dad always blocked the two shiny knobs on the safe with his body when putting money in, afraid that Ding Ding would see and learn the combination.
But Ding Ding pretended to be very engrossed in playing on the floor, sneaking glances with a sidelong eye. Over time, he finally learned the combination.
One day, after losing all his money at the arcade, he sneaked into his dad’s room while his dad was busy in the shop. He thought knowing the combination would let him open the safe. But as soon as his hand reached the knob, a hand stretched out and gave him a hard slap on the face.
The slap was so heavy it knocked him to the floor. He cried out, begging for mercy, “I was just touching it; I didn’t plan to take any money…”
But looking around, there was no dad in sight. He ran to the front to check, and his dad was still busy there!
He found this very strange and ran back. This time, he brought a broom, holding the long handle, to see if he could use it to turn the knob. But as soon as the broom touched the knob, another hard slap knocked him to the floor.
This time he saw clearly—a hand suddenly stretched out from the side of the safe. Wow, that arm could extend so long, it reached his face!
But that wasn’t all. That evening, his dad called him over and, with a stern look, asked, “Were you trying to take my money today?”
Ding Ding played dumb, “Take your money? Where do you keep your money?”
His dad chuckled and said, “Kid, trying to trick me, huh? Nice try!”
The fox shopkeeper took Ding Ding to the safe and pressed a button on the side. A screen immediately appeared, playing a video of Ding Ding sneaking to the safe, touching the knob, and getting slapped, all while shouting, “I was just touching it…”
Next, the screen showed him holding the broom and reaching toward the safe.
Ding Ding was stunned. Wow, it even recorded him!
But his dad just laughed heartily, “Learn from your old man, kid; you’ve got a long way to go!”
Hili Huhu’s family didn’t have a safe; it seemed they didn’t need one. Little Fox Ding Ding often took advantage of the bustling playtime to sneak around, touching and rummaging here and there. He found out that Mr. Pig kept his money under the mattress of the big double bed.
Ding Ding didn’t plan to take that money. Hili Huhu was his friend, and you had to show some loyalty to your friends. While he was always preoccupied with the safe, the money inside was his family’s. Taking his own family’s money was “taking,” but taking someone else’s money was “stealing.”
After all, he had been Mr. Wolf’s student for a while and understood this principle. He was curious about where people kept their money, but at most, this was just a minor flaw in his character.
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
