One night a fox crept into the henhouse through a crack in the wall. She then ate so many chickens she couldn't get back out.
At dawn, the farmer came and noticed many chickens were missing.
Then he saw the fox, lying dead on the ground, or so he thought.
"Your greed killed you," he said, grabbing the fox's tail. He carried the body outside and threw it over the fence.
As soon as the fox hit the ground, she took off running. The farmer chased her, but she escaped into the safety of the woods.
Her wit saved her.
Inspired by: Mille Fabulae et Una, a collection of Latin fables that I've edited, free to read online. I am not translating the Latin here; instead, I am just telling a 100-word version of the fable.
Notes: This is fable 51. Vulpes Mortem Simulans et Agricola in the book, which is not in Perry; it comes from Spencer's Latin textbook. The motif of the fox playing dead is popular in the bestiary tradition, as in this illustration:
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