Write a fable
On the subject of outliving your enemies ...
Far to the east, where the animals speak to one another in the language of forgotten gods, there lived a tortoise that pulled the water from the well for his people using a giant wheel. Although slow and methodical, the tortoise’s strength was enduring and he could draw water for a whole day without fatigue. He was highly regarded by man and animal alike for this service and the village never went thirsty.
One day a hare came to the village on his travels to see the world and spied the tortoise pulling water. He laughed heartily at this and asked the Tortoise, “why are you doing an ox’s job, tortoise?”
The tortoise continued pulling and answered, “The ox can pull the plow but I cannot. This is a fine job, for I can pull water all day and the village is never thirsty.”
The hare slapped his knee and guffawed in his face. “Anyone could do that job! And they’d get the same amount of water but in less time. Here, let me show you.”
And before the tortoise could protest, the hare lifted the harness that tortoise used to pull the wheel and threw it over his shoulder. The hare strained against the ropes and after a significant effort got the wheel moving. It gained in speed as the hare went faster and the troughs filled quickly. Once they started overflowing, the tortoise asked the hare to stop.
The hare smiled smugly and dropped the harness. But the wheel kept spinning and spooled the harness around its axis. It took several minutes for the wheel to stop spinning and all the while water splashed and slopped over the sides of the basins and flooded the square.
“Look what you have done!” the tortoise growled angrily.
“So!” said rabbit. “It was my first time. The basins are filled for the whole day. With only a little practice I could do it every day and still have time to do anything I wanted.”
The tortoise scowled. “Fine, you can do it better. If you can beat me in a race I’ll give you my job and everyone in the village will benefit.”
The hare laughed once more and said, “Done.”
They drew a line in the dirt as a starting line. “The race is finished when one of us passes old man Munson’s place on the edge of town.”
Hare nodded. They stepped up to the line.
“Ready, go,” said Tortoise.
Like a streak of grey lightning, the hare ran down the road at full speed. He effortlessly crossed the distance and passed old man Munson’s place before the tortoise had even gone a quarter of the way.
When the tortoise did cross the finish line, rabbit was waiting there grazing in a nearby clover field. “You win,” the tortoise called out to him.
The hare looked up and snickered. “Of course I won. Now I get your job.”
“Agreed,” said tortoise. And the tortoise went home and read War and Peace.
After 3 years, Tortoise got a knock on his door. He opened it, slowly of course, to see the village crier, a spry and nervous magpie, fluttering on his doorstep.
“Is there something I can do you for you?” the tortoise asked him.
“Oh yes, yes,” the magpie cried with great agitation. “The hare has died of old age and no one wants to pull the water from the well.”
The tortoise smiled. “I can do it again, of course.”
“Oh thank you tortoise,” the magpie cried, “Thank you so very much. I shall take you to the wheel.”
Tortoise followed the magpie to the well and found the wheel and harness as he’d left them. They were old and worn with a few years pulling.
“Tell me one thing,” the tortoise said to the magpie, “in the end, did the hare like pulling the water from the well?”
The magpie frowned, “He hated pulling the water. I think it’s what led him to an early grave. A hare isn’t made to do heavy labor.
“I see,” said the Tortoise. “It’s too bad hares don’t live over a hundred years like a tortoise.”
Tortoise hitched the harness to his back and began pulling the water. And for over a century after, the village was very thankful and never went thirsty.
-FW
Far to the east, where the animals speak to one another in the language of forgotten gods, there lived a tortoise that pulled the water from the well for his people using a giant wheel. Although slow and methodical, the tortoise’s strength was enduring and he could draw water for a whole day without fatigue. He was highly regarded by man and animal alike for this service and the village never went thirsty.
One day a hare came to the village on his travels to see the world and spied the tortoise pulling water. He laughed heartily at this and asked the Tortoise, “why are you doing an ox’s job, tortoise?”
The tortoise continued pulling and answered, “The ox can pull the plow but I cannot. This is a fine job, for I can pull water all day and the village is never thirsty.”
The hare slapped his knee and guffawed in his face. “Anyone could do that job! And they’d get the same amount of water but in less time. Here, let me show you.”
And before the tortoise could protest, the hare lifted the harness that tortoise used to pull the wheel and threw it over his shoulder. The hare strained against the ropes and after a significant effort got the wheel moving. It gained in speed as the hare went faster and the troughs filled quickly. Once they started overflowing, the tortoise asked the hare to stop.
The hare smiled smugly and dropped the harness. But the wheel kept spinning and spooled the harness around its axis. It took several minutes for the wheel to stop spinning and all the while water splashed and slopped over the sides of the basins and flooded the square.
“Look what you have done!” the tortoise growled angrily.
“So!” said rabbit. “It was my first time. The basins are filled for the whole day. With only a little practice I could do it every day and still have time to do anything I wanted.”
The tortoise scowled. “Fine, you can do it better. If you can beat me in a race I’ll give you my job and everyone in the village will benefit.”
The hare laughed once more and said, “Done.”
They drew a line in the dirt as a starting line. “The race is finished when one of us passes old man Munson’s place on the edge of town.”
Hare nodded. They stepped up to the line.
“Ready, go,” said Tortoise.
Like a streak of grey lightning, the hare ran down the road at full speed. He effortlessly crossed the distance and passed old man Munson’s place before the tortoise had even gone a quarter of the way.
When the tortoise did cross the finish line, rabbit was waiting there grazing in a nearby clover field. “You win,” the tortoise called out to him.
The hare looked up and snickered. “Of course I won. Now I get your job.”
“Agreed,” said tortoise. And the tortoise went home and read War and Peace.
After 3 years, Tortoise got a knock on his door. He opened it, slowly of course, to see the village crier, a spry and nervous magpie, fluttering on his doorstep.
“Is there something I can do you for you?” the tortoise asked him.
“Oh yes, yes,” the magpie cried with great agitation. “The hare has died of old age and no one wants to pull the water from the well.”
The tortoise smiled. “I can do it again, of course.”
“Oh thank you tortoise,” the magpie cried, “Thank you so very much. I shall take you to the wheel.”
Tortoise followed the magpie to the well and found the wheel and harness as he’d left them. They were old and worn with a few years pulling.
“Tell me one thing,” the tortoise said to the magpie, “in the end, did the hare like pulling the water from the well?”
The magpie frowned, “He hated pulling the water. I think it’s what led him to an early grave. A hare isn’t made to do heavy labor.
“I see,” said the Tortoise. “It’s too bad hares don’t live over a hundred years like a tortoise.”
Tortoise hitched the harness to his back and began pulling the water. And for over a century after, the village was very thankful and never went thirsty.
-FW