| Category: | African American Legends |
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One hot summer day, Brer Rabbit was feeling lazy and didn't want to work for his food. As he wandered through the forest, he spotted Brer Bear sitting under a tree, munching on honey. A sly grin spread across Brer Rabbit's face. "Howdy, Brer Bear!" he called out. "What are you up to today?"
"Oh, just enjoying some honey, Brer Rabbit," Brer Bear replied, licking his paws. "What about you?"
"Well, I was thinking of doing some fishing," Brer Rabbit said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "But I'm too tired to catch the fish myself. If only I had a strong friend like you to help me out. We could catch more fish than you've ever seen!"
Brer Bear's ears perked up. He loved fish almost as much as he loved honey. "What's your plan, Brer Rabbit?"
"It's simple!" Brer Rabbit said excitedly. "I'll set up a trap by the creek, and all you have to do is hold onto the rope and pull in the fish. I'll make sure they get caught, and you can pull them in."
Brer Bear, not realizing that Brer Rabbit was up to his old tricks, agreed. The two went down to the creek, and Brer Rabbit tied one end of a long rope around Brer Bear's waist and tossed the other end into the water.
"Now hold on tight, Brer Bear!" Brer Rabbit called out. "I'm going to stir up the fish. They'll swim right into the trap!"
Brer Rabbit then disappeared into the bushes, leaving Brer Bear standing by the creek. As soon as Brer Rabbit was out of sight, he tied the other end of the rope to a large tree and scampered away, laughing to himself.
Hours passed, and Brer Bear stood there, pulling and straining on the rope, thinking he was catching fish. But when he finally looked down, he realized the rope wasn't connected to anything at all! Confused and exhausted, Brer Bear trudged back up the path, only to find Brer Rabbit relaxing under a shady tree.
"Brer Rabbit!" Brer Bear roared. "You tricked me! There weren't any fish at all!"
Brer Rabbit chuckled and shook his head. "Now, now, Brer Bear, I never said there were fish in the creek today. I just said we'd catch more than you've ever seen—which, for today, was none!"
Brer Bear grumbled and stomped away, but he couldn't help but smile at Brer Rabbit's cleverness. He knew he'd been tricked, but he had to admit—it was a good one.