The Clever Hare and the Grumpy Lion

- "Oh, that's easy! Just take me to the river and rub my back in the mud until my shell gets soft."

Ravi Ila Bhatt

O nce, in a sun-drenched land, lived a clever Hare and a big, grumpy lion named Simba. Simba guarded a giant tree with a hive full of sweet, sticky honey, and the Hare wanted a taste!

One day, the Hare hopped over to his friend, Tortoise. "Let's go get some honey!" the Hare whispered excitedly.

"But isn't that Simba's tree?" worried the Tortoise.

"Don't worry," said the Hare with a wink. "I have a plan."

Soon, the two friends were high up in the tree, happily eating honey. But their feast was cut short by a loud ROAR! Below them stood Simba the lion.

"Who is in my honey tree?" he growled.

The Hare whispered to the Tortoise, "Quick! Wrap me in straw and throw me down. He'll never know it's me."

The Tortoise was clever, too. He wrapped the Hare in straw, but as he threw the bundle down, he shouted, "Look out, Simba! Here comes the Hare!"

Simba caught the bundle and unwrapped it. "Aha! I've got you!" he roared, holding the Hare with his giant paw.

"You can't eat me," said the Hare calmly. "I'm much too tough and chewy."

"Then what should I do with you?" asked the puzzled lion.

"Well," said the Hare, "to make me tender, you have to take me by the tail, swing me around your head, and then slam me on the ground."

Simba thought this was a great idea. He grabbed the Hare's tail and swung him around… once… twice… and on the third swing, WHOOSH! The Hare let go, flew through the air, and landed safely in a bush before zipping away.

Furious, Simba turned back to the tree. "You! Come down now!" he roared at the Tortoise.

When the Tortoise reached the ground, Simba growled, "Your shell is too hard. How can I eat you?"

The Tortoise chuckled. "Oh, that's easy! Just take me to the river and rub my back in the mud until my shell gets soft."

Simba carried the Tortoise to the river and started rubbing his back on what he thought was mud. But the clever Tortoise had slipped away, leaving the lion rubbing a hard, muddy rock until his paws were sore!

Realizing he'd been tricked again, Simba roared, "That's it! I'm going to the Hare's house to wait for him!"

He stormed up the mountain to the Hare's little house and hid inside, waiting to pounce.

A little later, the Hare came hopping home. But he was very observant. He saw big paw prints leading into his house, but none coming out.

"Hmm," he thought. "Simba is inside."

Standing a safe distance away, the Hare called out in a cheerful voice, "Hello, house! How are you today?"

He waited a moment, then said loudly, "That's strange. My house always says 'Hello!' back to me when I come home. I guess no one is there today."

Inside, the impatient lion thought, "I'll pretend to be the house!" and he roared, "HELLO!"

The Hare burst out laughing. "Oh, Simba! You've been tricked again! A house can't talk!"

With that, the clever Hare hopped away, leaving the grumpy lion sitting all alone in the quiet little house. Simba finally gave up, realizing that being the strongest doesn't always mean you'll win. Sometimes, being clever is the most powerful thing of all.