There once was a little white Hare. She was always so kind and helped anyone that she could. She never thought about herself, but always put others first. One day the Horse needed help swatting the flies off of his back. He was miserable and itchy and couldn’t reach where they were sitting. The Hare was passing by on her way to lunch and could see that he was in distress. “What’s the matter Mr. Horse,” she asked. “These terrible, terrible flies will not leave me be. They have taken residence in a place on my back that I cannot reach. I have no way of getting them off and relieving myself of the itch that they have cause,” he replied. “Well, if it is assistance that you need I would be happy to lend a helping hand,” the Hare responded. She jumped up on the Horse’s back and swatted away the flies, making sure that they would not return. The Horse, much relieved, thanked her for her kindness and with that they became good friends.
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| A drawing of "The Hare With Many Friends" by William Harvey from the 1854 edition of John Gay's Fables Source:The Fables of John Gay |
The Hare helped many of the other animals as well and quickly became popular. She had been wondering around a field, picking wildflowers, when she came across the bull. He had somehow gotten his horns stuck in the fence post and could not set them free on his own. The Hare didn’t waste a moment jumping to the rescue. She climbed up on the bull’s head and with a great big kick, pushed the fence back, releasing the bull’s horns from its grip.
She also helped the goat in his time of need. He had been messing around, kicking and head butting a stack of wooden boxes. He kicked the stack just right and made the boxes come crashing down on top of him. The Hare heard his cries of help and quickly dug the goat out of the rubble. The Hare helped the ram in a similar way. He had been practicing his fighting by ramming his strong horns into a stack of hay. Since the hay wasn’t very sturdy, he ended up getting his horns stuck in the hay and made the top bales fall on top of his head. The Hare had been bouncing by and saw the whole thing take place. She quickly jumped to the rescue and removed the bales from atop the ram’s head. Then, she dug his horns out from the bale in which they had gotten stuck.
The Hare was friends with all of these animals, but her best friend was the calf. When the calf was born, he wondered away from his mother and got lost in the fields. He was alone and scared and didn’t know where to go. He had wondered so far that he had come to the edge of the woods. The wolves that resided there came across the young calf and had decided that they would take advantage of their easy prey. The Hare had been out searching for the calf with the other animals. She found the calf and saw that his life was in danger. She scurried through the tall grass of the field and warned him of the eminent danger. She then told him that she would distract the hungry wolves while he ran. Her plan worked and they were both able to escape and had been best friends ever since.
One day the Hare heard the hounds on the loose. The Hare was very frightened because the hounds loved to hunt Hares. She didn’t want to be their next meal, so she ran to the horse to find help. He denied her request, saying that he had other work he needed to do. So, the Hare ran to the bull to ask for assistance. He too declined, but assured her that one of her other friends would help her. She ran to the goat next, but he also said no and suggested that she ask the ram. She ran to the ram, who turned her away because hounds sometimes ate sheep as well. The Hare finally ran to her last hope, her best friend the calf. However, he too turned her away. He said that all the other animals were older and wiser than he and if they said no, then it was probably in his best interest to say no as well. The Hare was out of time and out of options and had to take matters into her own hands. The hounds were drawing near, but by her quit wit and fast feet she was luckily able to escape.
After that day, the Hare didn’t call the animals her friends anymore. In fact, she decided that she was going to find a new place to call home because there was no longer a reason for her to stay where she currently was. The Hare was upset and felt betrayed, but she didn’t let that affect her heart. She still helped anyone who was in need of it even though she wasn’t sure if they would help her in return. She was determined to make sure no one ever felt as helpless as she did the day her friends turned their back on her.
Author's Note: The original story "The Hare With Many Friends" was much shorter and only told the part of the Hare seeking assistance from the other animals. I decided it would make the story more dramatic to show that the Hare helped the other animals first and to show how she specifically helped each of them. I thought that this would give the story a bigger sense of betrayal and would make the audience feel even worse for the Hare than the original story. I also wanted to end the story with the Hare being the same as how she was before. I didn't want what happened to her affect her in a way that made her cruel, I wanted to show that despite what had happened to her she still had a big heart.
Bibliography: Aesop's Fables by Joseph Jacobs; Mythology and Folklore Untextbook
