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Ro Paxman
The Rabbit And The Bear
"Walk that way," said the bear to the rabbit as he pointed down the hill. "There is a patch of lettuce at the end of the road and I'm sure that you will have an enjoyable time eating to your heart's content."
The rabbit stopped to look at his grumpy companion. "Are you trying to get rid of me now? You've been complaining all day about needing to go to the river to get a drink of water and yet you keep sitting in the same spot without moving a bit."
"Truthfully," the bear sighed, "you are wearing me down with your insistence that I walk all that way. I can't understand why you think it is so important for me to go at this particular moment when I am so tired."
"Because you will die if you don't drink water!" his friend retorted.
"Pish, posh," whined the bear. "I can't imagine how that would hurt me a bit. I think I'll take a nap." And with that, he settled in the warm sun, closed his eyes and began to snore.
The rabbit, who was tired of arguing the point with his friend, began to think about the green, tender lettuce that might be found at the end of the road and decided that he would take a stroll to find out for himself if it were true or not. Imagine his delight when he discovered a huge field of ripe lettuce, just perfect for the hungriest of all rabbits to eat until he could eat no more.
As the rabbit was dining, he started to consider the state of world affairs. Rabbits, he decided, have no business advising bears in their personal matters. After all, wasn't it a well-known fact that bears were huge beasts that ate fish on a regular basis?
"Just suppose," he thought to himself, "that my friend suddenly lost his taste for trout and decided to snack on rabbits instead. Why, I might suddenly find myself spending the rest of my time inside of the bear instead of outside of the bear!"
After a time - and because the rabbit wasn't quite his usual self, as his feast had made him a little tipsy with lettuce juice – he had worked himself into quite a state of anger over the bear's supposed inclination to eat rabbits.
The bear, meanwhile, was lost in dreams of fishing, honey combs and berry picking expeditions. As he slept, the sun became warmer and warmer and warmer. He grew hotter and hotter and hotter. And then, he got thirstier and thirstier and thirstier. Before he knew it, he was dreaming of lakes, rivers and waterfalls that he was unable to reach. He began to believe that he was lost on a desert. Yes, he was lost on a desert and was unable to find a bit of water anywhere.
"I'm going to die!" the bear exclaimed in his dream state. "I'm going to die! Oh, why didn't I listen to my friend, the rabbit?"
Suddenly, the bear dreamed that a big rock fell out of the sky and hit him on the head. Roaring with pain, the bear jumped up and rubbed his head.
"Why, that was a real rock!" he shouted. "Who is throwing rocks at me?"
"I am, you big lout!" came the rabbit's voice from behind a bush. "I cannot understand why you have decided to eat me after all of our years of friendship. Here I was, trying to save your life by getting you to drink a bit of water! The nerve!"
"What?" the bear shouted back. "You are being ridiculous. I have never supposed for a moment that I would eat you. Why would I want to eat a scrawny little rabbit anyway? You would be so tough that my teeth would likely break. Oh, you are awful to make me break my teeth. You scoundrel, why would you want to break my teeth? Everyone knows that bears have to have teeth!"
"Your teeth? Well, I would never want to break your teeth. That would truly be a tragedy. I am a bad friend for wanting to break your teeth, aren't I?"
And with that, the rabbit sat down and cried.
The bear, upon hearing the rabbit sobbing from behind the bush, felt so bad inside that he picked up the rabbit, gave him a great big bear hug and wiped the tears off of his face.
"Well, well, well," the bear sighed. "What a state of affairs is this? And all because I was too lazy to go and get myself a drink."
Sniffling a little, the rabbit said, "Shall we go then?"
And with that, the bear and the rabbit walked over the short hill to the river and took a drink of the cool water.
"What should we do now?" asked the bear, once his thirst had been satisfied.
"Let's go to the berry patch," suggested his friend. "You can eat a little bit. You know, I am quite worried about you because you look too thin. It would be good for you to eat now."
Shaking his head, the bear said, "No. I don't think I want to do that. But, there is a carrot patch down at the end of the lane. Why don't you go there?"
"But you will die if you don't eat!" exclaimed the rabbit.
"I'm too tired to eat," replied the bear. "I think I will take a nap."
The moral of this story is, "They that cannot be counseled cannot be helped. If you do not hear reason, she will rap you on the knuckles." – Benjamin Franklin
Ro
Muse: To be absorbed in one's thoughts; engage in meditation. Not intended to solve the world's problems, another person's problems, or to cover topics completely. One does not have to agree with musings to enjoy them, just as one does not have to be the same as someone else to appreciate who they are.
Would you like to earn a $20 Gift Certificate? Send your own muse to [email protected]. If it is selected for publication in the Scrap Girls newsletter, you'll get to have fun shopping!
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