The Crab Who Trapped the Crane

A crane, growing tired of catching fish one at a time from a shrinking pond, told the fish that a nearby lake, deep and permanent, would suit them far better, and offered to carry them there himself, one by one, in his long beak.

Fish after fish trusted him and vanished — carried not to any lake at all, but to a rock nearby where the crane devoured each one out of sight, returning each time to claim the next had settled in happily and requested a friend join him.

A clever crab, growing suspicious that none of the "relocated" fish were ever seen or heard from again, offered himself as the next passenger — but rather than let the crane's beak carry him loosely, he clamped his claws tightly around the bird's neck the moment they lifted off. When the crane reached his usual feeding rock and prepared to eat him too, the crab simply tightened his grip until the crane's neck was cut clean through, ending the deception for every fish still remaining in the pond.