574- The Poor Rabbit and an Evil Friend

In the ancient times, a poor rabbit met a sly fox. An intimate friendship grew between them. At that time, the rabbit was famous for his long tail and small ears. Many animals try to warn him against his friendship with the fox. However, the rabbit insisted on keeping such friendship, as he considered the fox to be the true friend who would fill his life with joy and entertainment.

One day, the fox came to the rabbit saying, “Let’s spend one day fishing.”

“But we don’t have a hook nor a bait to fish.”

“Let’s sit on the sea shore and you put your long tail in the water so when a fish come to bite you, you should catch it with your tail and drag it to the shore.”

“Why don’t you put your tail in the water?”

“For your tail is longer than mine and very soft so it will attract the fish.”

The poor rabbit obeyed the evil friend and went with him to the seashore for fishing. The former began to put his long tail in the water and the later started entertaining him and suddenly the rabbit screamed, “I caught a fish with my tail, what shall I do then?”

“Lift your tail quickly towards the shore and throw the fish.”

“The fish is dragging me down. It’s so huge.”

The fox looked forward to the water and screamed, “It isn’t a fish. It’s a big tortoise.”

“What shall I do then, Help me! It pulls me down and down into the water. I’ll sink indeed.”

“Sorry I have nothing to do for you.”

“Pull me fox up to the shore.”

The fox held the rabbit from its ears and began to pull him until his ears became long. Moreover, as the tortoise caught the rabbit from his tail, it was cut in his mouth. As a result, the rabbit became almost without a tail. This was the result of accompanying the evil friend.

→ English translation of the story here at St-Takla.org: الأرنب المسكين وصديق السوء.

Lord! Keep me away from any evil friend.

Keep me away from every evil consultation.

Be my best friend.

Let Your angels surround me, so that I would stick to You all the time,

To join them and behave under the guidance of the heavenly wisdom.

Saint Mary’s Dream

Short Stories (Stories for the Youth) Books by Father Tadros Yacoub Malaty

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