Kids · 3 minThe Rabbit and the Lion in the Well

In a green forest full of tall trees lived a lion named Bhasuraka. He was big, he was loud, and he was very, very bossy. He roared at sunrise, he roared at noon, and he chased every animal he saw, just to watch them run. The deer could not graze, the monkeys could not nap, and the peacocks were too nervous to dance.

So the animals held a meeting under the banyan tree. "Every day we will send one of us to his den, to keep him busy with stories and songs," said the old elephant. "Then the rest of us can live in peace." The lion liked that idea very much. He liked to be the most important animal in any room.

One day it was the turn of a small grey rabbit. She had long ears and a very busy mind. She walked slowly, very slowly. She stopped to eat clover. She stopped to look at a butterfly. By the time she reached the den, the sun was low, and the lion was pacing up and down, his tail swishing.

"You are LATE!" roared Bhasuraka. "Sorry, Your Majesty," said the rabbit, her ears trembling just a little. "I was stopped on the way by another lion. He says this forest is his, and that you are only a pretend king."

"Another lion?" The mane of Bhasuraka stood straight up. "Show me this pretend lion at once!"

The rabbit led him through the forest to an old stone well. "He lives down there, Your Majesty," she whispered. The lion put his paws on the edge and looked in. Deep down in the dark water, a big angry lion looked back at him.

Bhasuraka roared. The lion in the well roared back, and the roar echoed round and round the stones, even louder. That was too much. With a great leap, Bhasuraka jumped in to teach the other lion a lesson.

SPLASH.

There was no other lion, of course. There was only cold water, and one very wet, very surprised king. "Help!" he called. "Help, somebody!"

The animals came running. The rabbit looked down into the well. "We will pull you out," she said, "if you promise to stop chasing us, and to let everyone eat and sleep and dance in peace." The lion looked at the cold water. He looked at the little rabbit. "I promise," he said.

The monkeys twisted a long rope of vines, the elephant held one end, and everyone pulled together. Out came Bhasuraka, dripping like a wet blanket, with a frog sitting on his head.

He kept his promise. The deer grazed, the monkeys napped, and the peacocks danced again. And whenever the lion felt like roaring at somebody, he went to the old well first, looked at the lion inside, and remembered how cold the water was.

As for the rabbit, she was never in a hurry again. She did not need to be. Brains, as everyone in the forest now knew, are bigger than teeth.