The wolf and the fox wanted to eat the rabbit, but he was not easy to catch.
One day, the wolf said to the fox, "You go home and lie in bed. I'll tell the rabbit you are dead. When he comes to look, you can jump up and catch him."
"That's a good idea," said the fox.
The fox went home at once. The wolf went to the rabbit's house and knocked at the door.
"Who is it?" asked the rabbit.
"It's the wolf. I come to tell you the fox is dead," said the wolf, and then he went away.
The rabbit went to the fox's house. He looked through the window and saw the fox lying in bed with his eyes closed. He thought, "Is the fox really dead, or is he pretending? If he's not dead, he'll catch me when I go near."
So he said, "The wolf says the fox is dead. But he doesn't look like a dead fox. A dead fox's mouth is always open."
When the fox heard this, he thought, "I'll show him I'm dead." So he opened his mouth.
The rabbit knew then that the fox wasn't dead, and he ran away quickly.