The Moon & the Millpond

#####The Moon & the Millpond

There was often trouble among the animals. They quarrelled and argued and cheated and tricked each other. And it was nearly always Brer Rabbit’s fault.

Usually the animals made friends again. They lay around in the sun and were as nice as can be to each other. But when things were peaceful and quiet, Brer Rabbit was bored.

“Bored! Bored! Bored!” he said one day as he sat chatting to his friend Brer Terrapin. “It’s time for some fun!”

“You’re the most wicked creature in all Alabama, Brer Rabbit,” said Brer Terrapin. “But life’s never boring when you start making trouble! What are you planning now?”

Brer Rabbit looked shocked, “Who said I was going to make trouble? I was only going to suggest a fishing trip to the old millpond.” But there was a wicked glint in his eyes. “You bring Brer Fox and Brer Bear and Brer Wolf along tomorrow night. If anything happens, just watch and listen.”

“I’ll be there,” chuckled Brer Terrapin. “I wouldn’t miss it for anything!” While Brer Rabbit ran off home to bed, Brer Terrapin began his slow walk to the millpond. “Um, if I set off now,” he thought to himself, “I should be there by tomorrow night.”

The animals all went to the millpond the next night. Brer Fox took fishing tackle, Brer Bear took a net, and Brer Wolf took some bait.

But Brer Rabbit had been the first to arrive. He was sitting on a log at the side of the millpond. “It’s no good,” he said. “We’ve wasted our time.”

“What? Why?” The animals pushed through the the long grass to the edge of the pond. “What’s wrong, Brer Rabbit?”

“There’s been an accident,” he explained. “You missed it. The moon has fallen into the pond. Oh well, we’ll just have to go home again.”

“The moon fell into the pond?” “Yes! If you don’t believe me, look for yourselves!”

Brer Fox and Brer Bear and Brer Wolf all looked. And, sure enough, there was the moon, swinging and swaying at the bottom of the pond.

“But I wanted to catch some perch,” said Brer Fox.

“And I wanted to catch a pike,” said Brer Bear.

“And I was going to catch a trout,” said Brer Wolf, “and eat it for supper.”

“And I was after minnows,” said Brer Terrapin. “What were you after, Brer Rabbit?” And the two creatures winked at each other.

“It’s very disappointing. I can see that,” said Brer Rabbit. “But nobody will catch anything in here tonight-unless we get that moon out. It will scare off every fish in the pool!”

They all scratched their heads and waited for Brer Rabbit to have a good idea. Brer Rabbit was always full of good ideas.

“I’ve got it!” he said at last. “I’ll run round to the Mud Turtle’s house and borrow a big net. We’ll need something strong and big to pull out the moon. It’s solid silver, you know. Wait for me. Don’t do anything till I get back.” And with a flash of his white tail, Brer Rabbit was gone.

At least he seemed to have gone. Only Brer Terrapin noticed the tips of two ears just showing above a nearby bush. “Solid silver, eh?” he thought out loud. “Just think what that is worth!”

All at once, Brer Bear was reaching for his net. “Quick! Before Brer Rabbit comes back! Let’s get the moon out and share it between us.”

Brer Fox and Brer Wolf watched eagerly as Brer Bear reached for the moon. At first he thought he might be able to reach with his paw. But as he lay on his stomach and splashed, the moon seemed to drift further out into the lake. “It’s no good,” he said. “I’ll have to use my net.”

Not wanting to get their feet wet, they stood on the bank and threw the net out over the glistening moon, then heaved it ashore.

But there was no moon in the net.

Again they threw it out, and again it came in empty. “We’re not reaching far enough,” said Brer Fox. “If we all step down into the water, we’ll be able to get the net over the moon.

They tried it, Brer Wolf complaining about the cold. “We’ve got it this time!” But there was still no moon.

Just then, Brer Wolf reached the edge of the shallows. His feet slipped from under him and he plunged into the deep water, clutching the net. Brer Fox was holding the net, too, so he was pulled in after him. And Brer Wolf had hold of it, too, so he was pulled under the water as well.

With all the splashing they made, the silver reflection of the moon in the bottom of the millpond broke into a thousand pieces and melted away.

They spluttered and blew and splashed and howled. Brer Rabbit laughed so much that he rolled out of the bushes. And Brer Terrapin hid his head inside his shell so that no one could see him grinning.

By the time they reached the bank, Brer Bear and Fox and Wolf were all quarrelling and arguing and blaming each other.

“You pulled me under!” “You should have let go!” “Who’s idea was it anyway?” “I’ve got mud in my boots!”

Brer Rabbit smiled. “That’s better,” he thought to himself. Then he helped the soggy animals out of the pond, one by one. They looked at him darkly, knowing he was somehow to blame.

“Darned Rabbit,” said Brer Wolf, looking up at the moon in the sky.

“You never said what you wanted to catch this evening, Brer Rabbit,” giggled Brer Terrapin.

“Didn’t I?” said Brer Rabbit. “Well, I thought I’d catch out a fool or two. And with the moon for bait, I reckon I had a pretty successful evening!”