Page 7 - ScaredRabbits

‘Scared Rabbits run faster’ – the story
(after a Jataka Tale retold by Noor InayatͲKhan – ISBN 13 978Ͳ0Ͳ89281Ͳ323Ͳ0)

One day a little hare sat under an apple tree and thought, and thought, and thought …

What, my children, did the little hare think about under the tree? “What will happen to me
when the earth comes to an end?” he thought, and at that very moment an apple fell from
the tree. Off ran little hare as fast as his legs could carry him, so sure he was the noise of the
fruit falling was that of the earth breaking to pieces, and he ran and ran, not daring to look
behind him.

„Brother, brother“, called another little hare who saw him running. “Pray tell me what has
happened!” But the little hare ran on and did not even turn to answer. But the other hare
ran after him, calling louder and louder. “What has happened, little brother, what has
happened?”

At last little hare stopped a moment and said: “The earth is breaking to pieces!” At this the
other hare started running still faster and a third hare joined them, and a fourth, and a fifth,
till a hundred thousand hares were racing through the fields. And they raced through the
forest and deep jungles, and the deer, the boars, the elks, the buffaloes, the oxen, the
rhinoceros, the tigers, the lions, and the elephants, hearing that the earth was coming to an
end, all ran wildly with them.

But among those living in the jungle was a lion, a wise, golden lion, who knew everything
that took place in the world. And when it became known to him that so many hundreds and
thousands of animals were running away because they believed that the earth was breaking
to pieces, he thought: “This earth of ours is far from coming to an end, but my poor
creatures will die if I do not save them, for in their fright they will run into the sea”. And he
ran at such apace that he reached a certain mountain which lay in their path before they
came to it. And as they passed by the mountain he roared three times with such a mighty
roar that they stopped in their mad flight and stood still close to each other, trembling. The
golden lion descended from the mountain and approached them. “Why are you running at
such a pace?” he asked.

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