The Rabbit in the Moon

Once the Old-Man-of-the-Moon looked down into a big forest on the earth. He saw a rabbit, a monkey and a fox living there together in the forest as very good friends.

"Now, I wonder which of them is the kindest," said the Old Man to himself. "I think I'll go down and see."

So he changed himself into an old beggar and came down from the moon to the forest where the three friends were.

"Please help me," he said to them. "I'm very, very hungry."

"Oh! What a poor old beggar!" said the three friends, and they went hurrying off to find some food for him.

The monkey found and brought the beggar a lot of fruit. And the fox caught a big fish for him to eat. But the rabbit just couldn't find anything at all to bring.

"Oh my! Oh my! What shall I do?" the rabbit cried. But just then he had an idea.

"Please, Mr Monkey," the rabbit said, "gather some firewood for me. And please, Mr Fox, make a big fire with the firewood."

They did as their friend had asked, and when the fire was burning brightly, the rabbit said to the beggar, "I don't have anything to give you. So I'll put myself in this fire, and when I'm cooked you can eat me."

The rabbit was just about to jump into the fire when the beggar suddenly changed himself back into the Old-Man-of-the-Moon.

"You're very kind, Mr Rabbit," he said, "but you should never do anything to harm yourself! Since you're the kindest of all, I'll take you home to live with me."

And then the Old-Man-of-the-Moon took the rabbit in his arms and carried him up to the moon. So when you look at the moon when it is shining brightly, you can still see the rabbit there where the Old Man took him so long ago.