** This story is now published on my portfolio site that be accessed here**
The Very Clever Hare
Image from Terrierman's Daily Dose
Deep in the southern plains of Oklahoma there lived a coyote
As the winter months came and warm weather disappeared, the coyote’s hunting wasn’t as successful. He hadn’t eaten yet that day and his stomach continually reminded him.
"I need a plan" thought the coyote. The first animal I see, I will tell them that I had just barely gotten away from a bobcat and will convince them that I am trying to help save their life.
Days went by and the coyote had yet to see anything he could kill and eat
“I have got to get food. I can feel myself losing strength”
The coyote continued to travel through the plains searching
Suddenly, in a field that had yet to had its life taken by the changing temperatures, the coyote spotted a jack rabbit eating. He remembered that his father had once told him about jack rabbits, but could not recall exactly what. It didn’t matter to the coyote, though. He was determined to eat him.
As the coyote grew closer, he began to heavily breathe
The rabbit, now aware of the coyote, stuck his head up and began to run when the coyote yelled, “Wait! I’m trying to save your life!”
Alarmed, the rabbit turned.
Huffing, the coyote managed to get out “Bobcat. Back there. Come with me”
The rabbit immediately clung to the coyote when they began to run
After it felt like forever, the coyote finally stopped running.
Not familiar with his surroundings, the rabbit asked the coyote, “Where have you taken me?”
The coyote, licking his lips and drool dripping out of his mouth, the coyote replied, “Oh, you silly little jack rabbit. You’ve fallen for my trick! There was no bobcat! It is winter and I am hungry. And you’re going to be my meal”
The rabbit, however, knew something that the coyote did not- a predator foot trap steaked onto the nearest tree.
Without hesitation, the jack rabbit began to sprint. As he approached the tree, he headed straight for the trap.
Right before he himself was about to step on it, he quickly jumped high into the air, causing the coyote to run straight into it.
“HA!” the jack rabbit cried. “You should never underestimate the skill of jack rabbit such as I!”
Chuckling, the rabbit left the coyote in the trap, for he was to become someone else’s meal for that night.
Authors Note:
My original idea for this story came from reading The Cunning Crane and the Crab.
Story source: The Giant Crab, and Other Tales from Old India by W. H. D. Rouse. Internet archive.
Kennedee! First of all, I would like to say that I really enjoyed the overall format of the story, as it's structured somewhat like a poem. This is different from most of the stories I've read from classmates as they are all cookie-cutter in terms of paragraphs on paragraphs of words, so seeing this is very refreshing. I also really like the clever usage of classic animal versus animal storyline as it's like many of the tales that I was told as a kid. But otherwise, I really enjoyed it!
ReplyDeleteI love how you personified the stomach with the line “He hadn’t eaten yet that day and his stomach continually reminded him.” It really adds to the whimsy of the story! I also love the feel of your story it really feels like a children’s book. Like I feel that there should be illustrations for each of the paragraphs. Great job!!
ReplyDeleteKennedee, very enjoyable take on the Cunning Crane and the Crab fable! I like how the story was set in Oklahoma. I know there's a ton of coyotes in less populated areas nearby Norman, so I really felt for the jackrabbit! I think a real strong suit of your story is your command of the genre– you hit every beat of the folktale style in a very satisfying way. One quick question about the story– what was the thing that the coyote's always told him about jackrabbits? I figured he'd remember in the end (I assume it had to do with jackrabbits being able to jump high!). I read a story recently where the predator animal actually succeeds at first and eats the first animal it encounters– this made me really dislike the predator, and I rooted for the next animal that eventually outsmarted the predator. I honestly felt a little bad for coyote; I'm not sure if that's what you were going for. Nice work!
ReplyDeleteHello Kennedee! I’m enjoying reading through these stories as they all seem to tell a tale of creation or provide some level significant lesson. I thought it was cool that you related this directly to the Oklahoma wildlife and provided a tale that tells of the overzealous nature of a Coyote. As the story progress, we can see this develop into overconfidence which ultimately lands him into a deadly trap. I enjoyed that you found such a perfect picture to display for the story. Nice job!
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