The Jackrabbit

Introduction

Growing up, my dad always told me this story. I really do not know where it came from or where he heard it, but this is one of the only bedtime stories that has stuck with me from my childhood. I would go as far to say that this is one of the first stories that really helped shape me and my personality. From a young age, I've always valued hard work and honesty. I think that in order to truly succeed in something, you have to put in the effort. There are no short-cuts to success. I hope you enjoy this story as much as I have, and can see the value in its message!

The Jackrabbit

A long, long time ago, there lived a village of people. They were the first people to ever exist, and they had lots of hopes and dreams for what Earth could become! Some people wanted to focus on growing lots of crops so that their friends and family would never go hungry. Other people wanted to make beautiful buildings for everyone to live in, so no one would be without shelter. A few of them even planned to dedicate their time to creating music and art, so that everyone could stay happy and thoughtful.

These were all great dreams of the people in this village, but before they could do anything to make these hopes come true, they needed to establish order. First things first, they decided they needed something to provide a permanent source of light, that way they didn't always have to work by a fire or with a torch. They decided to create the Sun.

In order to accomplish such a marvelous feat, they needed someone that was honorable and energetic, and was willing to go live in the sky amongst the Gods! This would be a great honor to whoever was chosen, so they decided to hold a competition to choose their volunteer. Twenty of the most able-bodied people came to participate, even the village's Princess!

In order to become the Sun, the volunteers must compete in a foot race. The first person to run to the end of the field and back first would be the winner! The contestants trained for a very long time before the race. Everyone wanted to be sure that they would only be sending the most qualified person to the sky, because their light would shine the brightest.

When the day of the race came, all of the volunteers were lined up, ready for their Queen to yell, “Go!” But instead, a different voice was heard.

“I would like to enter the race!” It was the voice of the town’s Hooligan. She was always causing mischief and disarray, and hadn’t done any preparation for the competition. Many people were concerned about letting her participate, but the village wanted to be sure that they selected the best person to be the sun, so they let her join.

The Queen finally yelled, “Go!” and the contestants were off! The grass in the field was so tall that they couldn’t see all the way to the end. Instead, the members of the village watched with a sharp eye to see who would break through the wall of foliage first.

After a few minutes of watching and waiting, the grass began to shake. Out came the Princess and the Hooligan, with the Hooligan ever so slightly in the lead. The village went into an uproar, a mixture of congratulating the Hooligan and excitement to have selected a volunteer!

“She cheated!” The Princess yelled over the excitement, causing it to fizzle to a complete stop. “This Hooligan hid in the grass as soon as she was out of sight, and waited for me to come back around. She jumped in front of me just before we broke through the grass!”

“Is this true?” The Queen asked the Hooligan.

“Absolutely not! I would never cheat!” the Hooligan exclaimed.

“Very well. We will still send you to live in the sky, but know that your light will only shine as bright as you performed here today. If you did cheat, your place in the sky will reveal that,” the Queen explained.

The village began the ceremony, which required the volunteer to go through a ring of fire in order to take their permanent place in the sky. When it came time for the Hooligan to go through, she became nervous and attempted to stop herself, but tripped over her feet and fell face-first through the portal.

The sky did light up, but only ever so slightly. The village looked up to find nothing but a small, gray orb floating above. The light source was extremely minimal, and would not be enough for the village to use. A fire burned an image of a jackrabbit into the face of the orb, before going out completely.

“A jackrabbit,” the Queen began, commanding the attention of the now mourning village, “to serve as a reminder to everyone that lying and cheating will always fail you in the end. We will call her the Moon, and she will be destined to follow Earth forever as punishment, never being able to hide behind her lies again.”

“I will still go through the portal and become the Sun, that way the people of Earth can accomplish all of their hopes and dreams,” the Princess said to the village. Had the Hooligan not jumped in front of her, she would be the true winner. The Princess walked towards the ring of fire, nodded her head to the crowd as a symbol of good luck, and elegantly walked through the portal.

Unlike when the Hooligan walked through, the entire sky was lit up, brilliant and beautiful. The people of the village had to shield their eyes from just how bright the Princess’s shine was. The Sun was ten times as big as the Moon, and a million times brighter.

“The Sun,” the Queen began, “now serves also as a symbol of truth. The Princess’s bright light will guide us as we accomplish all of our dreams, and remind us that we must do so in a way that is fair and just.

From here on out, we will only work by the light of the Sun, so that we only create things with honor. By light of the Moon, we will rest and sleep, so that nothing will be made in deceit.

We will tell our children, our children’s children, and every generation to come, the tale of the Sun and the Moon. We will teach them that no matter what, honesty will always outshine deception.”