The Clever Hare and the Lion in the Well (from Kalila and Dimna)

Once upon a time, on a wide golden plain dotted with flat-topped trees, there lived many animals.

There were zebras with stripes, and gazelles with springy legs. There were warthogs, and tortoises, and chattering birds. And there was a small brown hare named Arnab, with long ears and a quick, clever mind.

The animals were happy. They grazed in the sunshine. They drank from the cool spring. They played together in the long grass.

Then, one day, a lion came.

He was big and loud and very, very bossy. He had a huge golden mane that stuck out in every direction. And he had the loudest roar anyone had ever heard.

"ROAR!" he went. "I am the king of this plain now! Everything here belongs to me!"

"From now on," boomed the Lion, "every single day, one of you must come to my cave and serve me. You will fan me with leaves when I am hot. You will bring me the sweetest water. You will scratch my back and comb my mane and tell me how wonderful I am. All day long!"

The animals looked at each other in dismay. It sounded like a very tiring job. And the Lion did not sound like he would ever say thank you.

"And if nobody comes," growled the Lion, "I will stomp and roar all over the plain. Every day. All day. Until no one can rest at all!"

So the animals had a meeting under the big tree.

"What can we do?" sighed the zebra.

"We will have to take turns," said the old tortoise sadly.

So that is what they did.

On Monday, the zebra went. He fanned the Lion with leaves until his legs wobbled.

On Wednesday, the warthog went. He combed the Lion's mane until his little hooves ached. And the Lion only grumbled, "Not like that! Do it again!"

Every evening, the animal came home tired and droopy. And the Lion never said thank you. Not once.

Then, one morning, it was Arnab's turn.

The hare's long ears drooped. "Oh dear," he said. "A whole day of scratching that grumpy lion's back."

But then Arnab's ears popped up again. His nose twitched. His eyes began to twinkle.

"Wait a minute," he said. "I have an idea."

So Arnab did not hurry to the Lion's cave. Instead, he took his time. He nibbled some clover. He hopped slowly along the path. He stopped to smell the flowers.

By the time he reached the cave, the sun was high in the sky.

The Lion was pacing back and forth. His tail was swishing. His mane was all messy.

"YOU!" roared the Lion. "You are late! Very late! And you are so small! Where have you been?"

Arnab bowed low. "Oh, Your Majesty," he said. "I am so sorry. It was not my fault. I was on my way here, but I met another lion."

The Lion stopped pacing. "Another lion?" he said.

"Yes," said Arnab, nodding his head very seriously. "A big one. With a great golden mane. He stopped me on the path. He said, 'Where are you going, little hare?' And I said, 'I am going to serve the King of the plain.'"

"And what did he say?" asked the Lion, leaning closer.

"He laughed," said Arnab. "He said, 'There is only one king here, and that is me! I am bigger, and louder, and my mane is fluffier!'"

The Lion's eyes went wide. His mane stood up even more. "FLUFFIER?" he roared. "Nobody's mane is fluffier than mine! Where is this other lion? Take me to him at once!"

"Follow me, Your Majesty," said Arnab, and he hopped off down the path.

The Lion stomped after him. Stomp, stomp, stomp.

Arnab led the Lion across the golden grass. Past the big flat-topped tree. Past the dusty rocks. Until they came to an old stone well, round and deep, with cool, clear water at the bottom.

"He lives down there," whispered Arnab, pointing. "In the well. Be careful. He is very fierce."

Then Arnab hopped behind a big rock and peeked out.

The Lion marched up to the well. He put his big paws on the stone edge. He leaned over and looked down into the water.

And there, looking back up at him, was a lion! A big lion with a great golden mane, and wide eyes, and an open mouth.

"So THERE you are!" roared the Lion.

The lion in the water opened its mouth too. And from deep inside the well came a roar. "...THERE YOU ARE!" It echoed off the stone walls, round and round.

The Lion jumped back. His eyes went even wider.

He leaned over again, slowly. He made a fierce face.

The lion in the water made the very same fierce face.

He shook his mane. The lion in the water shook its mane too.

"ROAR!" said the Lion.

"...ROAR! ROAR! ROAR!" said the well.

The Lion's ears went flat. His tail tucked between his legs. That lion down there was every bit as big as he was. Every bit as loud. And its mane really was just as fluffy.

"Oh, my," said the Lion in a small voice. "Oh, my, my."

For the first time in his life, the big bossy Lion felt what it was like to be bossed. And he did not like it one bit.

He backed away from the well. Step. Step. Step.

Then he turned around and ran. He ran across the golden plain, past the flat-topped trees, over the hills, and far, far away.

And he never came back to boss anyone on that plain again.

Arnab hopped out from behind the rock. He peeked over the edge of the well. Down below, a small brown hare with long ears looked back up at him.

Arnab giggled and waved. The little hare in the water waved back.

That evening, all the animals gathered under the big tree.

"Arnab!" they cried. "Where is the Lion? What happened?"

Arnab told them the whole story. The zebra laughed so hard he fell over. The gazelle sprang into the air. The warthog snorted with joy. And the old tortoise smiled the biggest, slowest smile.

"You are so small," said the tortoise. "And yet you were braver and cleverer than any of us."

That night, the animals had a party. They ate sweet grass and drank from the cool spring. They played in the long grass under the stars.

And not one of them had to scratch anybody's back.