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haha thanks. Heres the whole thing:
The house sat alone in the field. The enclosure of the dark woods silenced the quiet agony of the pine tree that scraped feverishly against the window of the little girl’s room. An unearthly light reflected off the vast field of snow, seeping through the cloth shades; the mother sat on the girl’s bed mesmerized, lost in thoughts of her childhood, so long ago.
“Mother, won’t you tell me a story tonight?� pleaded the little girl.
“I suppose. Which would you like to hear?�
“Oh perhaps… of The Tortoise and the Hare? You have not told me this since I was but a very young child. I want to hear of the great race and of the deep summer woods.�
“That is all well, but I shall tell you a different version of the Tortoise and the Hare, for tonight is the night of the full moon; the night of the immortals and of great evil. Promise me you will not be scared but will rest in peace after I have finished.�
“Yes, yes! Do tell me your story!� said the little girl, excitedly.
“It will soon be very late, I must proceed,� whispered the mother.
Once upon a time, in a distant land, there was a Hare that was known to be the fastest of all the creatures in the forest. Although very proud and confident of his speed, the Hare usually kept to himself and did not brag to others. One day he caught a Tortoise eating from his garden. When the Tortoise saw the approaching Hare, he attempted to run but was very slow and did not get far. The Hare easily caught up and taunted the Tortoise out of anger. “You think you can escape from your crime with those short legs of yours? Look at my long legs! They’re so swift you could never get more than a couple of paces. No one would dare race me.� This created a scene, and all the animals of the field and forest came to watch. The animals were jealous of the Hare’s speed and hated him for it. The Tortoise murmured something about a race. Before the Hare could say another word, the animals spoke: “The Tortoise has just challenged you to a race. If the Tortoise wins, the blood of your great running legs will flow into the ground. If you win, you will carve your rank of being the fastest in the land on the Tortoises’ shell, and he will live in humiliation.� The Hare, still filled with rage, scoffed at the idea of the Tortoise beating him in a race and said he was more than happy to carve his superiority into the Tortoises’ shell. He did not consider the serious consequence of losing for even a moment. From within the shadow of his shell, the Tortoise cautioned “You’d better not be too sure….� and slowly plodded along into the woods.
The integrity of the forest was protected by the Ancient One, where the morals and rules were kept. The first rule was that all animals of the forest and field were to speak the truth and act honestly. The consequences for breaking these rules were fatal – they were carved into the trunk of the Ancient One. For as long as anyone could remember, the animals of the forest and field had obeyed these rules out of fear and respect. Now that the full moon had come, the tortoise and the other animals were not afraid of the Ancient One. It was said that he lay asleep and defenseless on this night.
The Hare agreed that the day was too hot to run a race, even for a dedicated runner like himself. So that evening when the full moon began to rise, all the animals of the forest and fields gathered to watch the race. At the signal, the Hare leaped forward in a great bound and soon left the plodding Tortoise far behind him on the dusty road, illuminated only by moonlight and the few torches that marked the path. The Tortoise being lazy and slow, knew that the Hare would soon win, so he took a turn off the path, into the dark woods where the animals had showed him. He felt strangely protected by the presence of the full moon and confidently plodded forward, cursing the Ancient One and the Hare in a quiet chant.
The Hare also felt the presence of the full moon and began to feel slightly uneasy. Suddenly, he found himself jogging towards a split in the paths. There was no guiding torch, so he chose the left path. After going a couple hundred paces, he came to a dead-end, blocked by poisonous vines. Realizing he had taken the wrong path, the Hare sped up and pressed onwards, down the right path. Even as the true dedicated runner he was, the Hare’s champion legs began to tire from the detour down the left path, and he was forced to a slow but steady jog, sensing the finish line was ahead.
As the Hare peered into the murky darkness up ahead, he caught site of the finish line, and to his horror, the Tortoise waiting patiently, a sadistic smile filled his face. As the Hare gasped for air and struggled forward, he was blinded by the blood-red light that was emitted from a huge fire that came from the center of the clearing. The animals circled around the great fire with their faces illuminated in deep red and their eyes painted black, as they chanted a morbid rhythm of the ancient languages, moving to the beat of the sharpening of knives. In a nightmarish frenzy, the Hare crossed the finish line, and fell to his knees, hyperventilating, struggling to stay conscious. The Ancient One was burning. There lay the body of the Hare’s mother and sister, their blood seeping into the ground, deeper and deeper into the earth. The Tortoise came closer, plodding along, sharpening his knife with each step. The chanting of the animals stopped. The Hare, too terrified to even comprehend that he had lost the race, lay motionless, as the Tortoise rose upwards, still smiling and drew his blade. The Hare quietly pleaded, tears streaming from his big, glassy eyes, but the beating of his heart soon overwhelmed him and the repulsive feeling of nausea crept up from his stomach into his throat. The Hare was deafened by the pounding of blood flowing through his head, his ears ringing like a great bell. He lay on the ground, shaking in convulsive fits, and then suddenly stopped. He looked up at the Tortoise in a delirious state, blinded by his nausea. The animals of the forests and fields nodded. It was time.
A bird watched silently from the top of a great pine. The full moon had risen, and the Hare would never be able to count on his speed again.
The Little girl lay still.
“Mother, what happened to the Hare? Why did the other animals not like him? Why did they burn the Ancient One?� asked the little girl in a whisper.
“That, child, is not for me to answer. We must be safe within out dreams by the time the full moon rises,� the mother replied, the shadow of the pine tree branch falling across her eyes.
The little girl was puzzled by this answer, and looked deeply into her mother’s eyes.
“Mother, do you love me?� acquired the little girl.
But the women did not answer. The little girl looked into her eyes and saw the bodies of the Hare’s family burning, producing an orange glow. She moved slowly away from the bed, still looking into her mother’s eyes. The mother smiled, slowly stood up and walked towards her, her lifeless eyes swollen red. The little girl was scared. The full moon had risen. The house sat alone.
Park Life
