Once upon a time, in a cozy little house at the edge of the woods, a mother decided to make a pancake for her seven hungry children. The kitchen filled with the delicious smell as she poured the batter into the pan, and the pancake sizzled cheerfully. But just as she was about to flip it, something unexpected happened. The pancake popped right out of the pan, landed on its edge, and started rolling!

"Wait! Come back!" cried the mother, grabbing her spatula. The children clapped their hands and giggled as the pancake rolled out the door, shouting, "I’m not ready to be eaten! Goodbye!"

The pancake rolled down the garden path, humming a jaunty tune to itself. Soon, it met a rabbit nibbling on a carrot. "Hello there, Pancake," said the rabbit. "You look delicious! May I have a bite?"

"Oh no, you may not!" said the pancake, rolling faster. "I’ve run away from a mother and seven children, and I’ll run away from you, too!" And off it went, leaving the rabbit chewing on its carrot in surprise.

Next, the pancake reached a cow grazing in a meadow. The cow looked up and licked her lips. "Moo! You smell buttery and sweet. May I eat you?"

"Not a chance!" cried the pancake. "I’ve run away from a mother, seven children, and a rabbit, and I’ll run away from you, too!" It rolled even faster, zig-zagging through the tall grass.

As it kept rolling, the pancake reached a muddy pig lounging by a puddle. The pig snorted with delight. "Well, well, well! A runaway pancake! Won’t you stop so I can have a taste?"

"No way, Piggy!" said the pancake proudly. "I’ve run away from a mother, seven children, a rabbit, and a cow, and I’ll run away from you, too!" And before the pig could even blink, the pancake had rolled far, far away.

The pancake was feeling quite pleased with itself. "I’m so clever! No one can catch me," it sang. But just then, it came to a sparkling river. The water rushed by, too deep and wide for the pancake to cross. It came to a stop, unsure of what to do next.

A sly fox appeared, his bushy tail swishing behind him. "Well, hello there, little pancake," said the fox with a toothy grin. "You look like you’ve had quite the adventure. Need some help crossing the river?"

The pancake hesitated. "How do I know you won’t eat me?"

"Oh, me?" said the fox, pretending to be shocked. "Why, I don’t eat pancakes. I just want to help you get to the other side. Hop onto my tail, and I’ll carry you across."

The pancake considered this. The fox seemed friendly enough. Besides, it had outsmarted everyone else so far. Why not? So, it hopped onto the fox’s tail, and the fox waded into the river.

As the water got deeper, the fox said, "Oh dear, my tail is getting wet. Why don’t you hop onto my back?"

The pancake agreed and moved to the fox’s back. But soon, the water rose even higher. "Oh no! My back is getting wet," said the fox. "Why don’t you hop onto my nose?"

The pancake hesitated again but decided it had no choice. It hopped onto the fox’s nose. And just as they reached the middle of the river, the fox tilted his head back, and—gulp!—the pancake disappeared in one quick bite.

And so, the pancake’s great adventure came to an end. Sometimes, being clever is good, but being careful is even better.