The Hare's Hut
Once upon a time, in a forest, there lived a little fox and a little hare. They lived not far from each other. Autumn came, and it grew cold in the forest. They decided to build huts for the winter. The fox built herself a hut out of loose snow, and the hare built his out of loose sand. They spent the winter in their new huts. Spring arrived, and the sun grew warmer. The fox’s hut melted away, but the hare’s hut stood just as it had. The fox came to the hare’s hut, chased the hare out, and settled in his hut herself.The hare left his yard, sat under a birch tree, and cried. Along came a wolf. He saw the hare crying.
“Why are you crying, little hare?” asked the wolf.
“How can I not cry? The fox and I lived close to each other. We built ourselves huts: I made mine out of loose sand, and she made hers out of loose snow. Spring came. Her hut melted away, but mine stayed as it was. The fox came, chased me out of my hut, and settled in it herself. So here I sit, crying.”
“Don’t cry, little hare. Let’s go, I’ll help you. I’ll chase the fox out of your hut.”
They went together. When they arrived, the wolf stood at the doorstep of the hare’s hut and shouted at the fox:
“Why have you taken over someone else’s hut? Get down from the stove, fox, or I’ll throw you off and beat your shoulders!”
The fox wasn’t frightened. She replied to the wolf:
“Oh, wolf, watch out: my tail is like a whip—if I strike, you’ll die right here.”
The wolf got scared and ran away, leaving the hare alone. The hare sat back under the birch tree and cried bitterly.
Along came a bear. He saw the hare sitting under the birch tree, crying.
“Why are you crying, little hare?” asked the bear.
“How can I not cry? The fox and I lived close to each other. We built ourselves huts: I made mine out of loose sand, and she made hers out of loose snow. Spring came. Her hut melted away, but mine stayed as it was. The fox came, chased me out of my hut, and settled in it herself. So here I sit, crying.”
“Don’t cry, little hare. Let’s go, I’ll help you. I’ll chase the fox out of your hut.”
They went together. When they arrived, the bear stood at the doorstep of the hare’s hut and shouted at the fox:
“Why have you taken the hare’s hut? Get down from the stove, fox, or I’ll throw you off and beat your shoulders!”
The fox wasn’t frightened. She replied to the bear:
“Oh, bear, watch out: my tail is like a whip—if I strike, you’ll die right here.”
The bear got scared and ran away, leaving the hare alone. The hare went back to his yard, sat under the birch tree, and cried bitterly. Suddenly, he saw a rooster walking through the forest. The rooster saw the hare, approached him, and asked:
“Why are you crying, little hare?”
“How can I not cry? The fox and I lived close to each other. We built ourselves huts: I made mine out of loose sand, and she made hers out of loose snow. Spring came. Her hut melted away, but mine stayed as it was. The fox came, chased me out of my hut, and settled in it herself. So here I sit, crying.”
“Don’t cry, little hare. I’ll chase the fox out of your hut.”
“Oh, little rooster,” cried the hare, “how can you chase her out? The wolf tried and couldn’t. The bear tried and couldn’t.”
“But I will. Let’s go,” said the rooster. They went together. The rooster entered the hut, stood on the doorstep, crowed, and then shouted:
“I am the rooster, the bold rooster,
I am the singer, the chatterer,
With short legs,
And high heels.
I carry a scythe on my shoulder,
I’ll cut off the fox’s head!”
The fox lay there and said:
“Oh, rooster, watch out: my tail is like a whip—if I strike, you’ll die right here.”
The rooster jumped from the doorstep into the hut and shouted again:
“I am the rooster, the bold rooster,
I am the singer, the chatterer,
With short legs,
And high heels.
I carry a scythe on my shoulder,
I’ll cut off the fox’s head!”
And—he jumped onto the stove and pecked the fox on the back. The fox leapt up and ran out of the hare’s hut, and the hare slammed the door behind her.
And so the hare lived in his hut together with the rooster.
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