Brer Rabbit Falls Down the Well

retold by
S. E. Schlosser
One day, Brer Rabbit and Brer Fox and Brer Coon and Brer Bear and a lot of other
animals decided to work together to plant a garden fll of corn for roasting. !hey started
early in the morning and raked and dg and raked some more, breaking p the hard
grond so it wold be ready for planting. "t was a hot day, and Brer Rabbit got tired
mighty #ick. Bt he kept toting off the brsh and clearing away the debris $case he
didn$t want no one to call him la%y.
!hen Brer Rabbit got an idea. &Ow'& he shoted as lodly as he cold. &" got me a briar
in my hand'& (e wa)ed a paw and stck it into his moth. !he other critters told him he$d
better pll ot the briar and wash his hand afore it got infected. !hat was *st what Brer
Rabbit wanted to hear. (e hrried off, looking for a shady spot to take a #ick nap. +
little ways down the road, he fond an old well with a cople of bckets hanging inside
it, one at the top, and one down at the bottom.
&!hat looks like a mighty cool place to take a nap,& Brer Rabbit said, and hopped right
into the bcket.
,ell, Brer Rabbit was mighty hea)y - mch hea)ier than the bcket fll of water laying
at the bottom. ,hen he *mped into the empty bcket, it plmmeted right down to the
bottom of the well. Brer Rabbit hng onto the sides for dear life as the second bcket
whipped passed him, splashing water all o)er him on its way to the top. (e had ne)er
been so scared in his life.
Brer Rabbit$s bcket landed with a smack in the water and bobbed p and down. Brer
Rabbit was afraid to mo)e, in case the bcket tipped o)er and landed him in the water. (e
lay in the bottom of the bcket and shook and shi)ered with fright, wondering what
wold happen next.
.ow Brer Fox had been watching Brer Rabbit all morning. (e knew right away that Brer
Rabbit didn$t ha)e a briar in his paw and wondered what that rascal was p to. ,hen Brer
Rabbit snck off, Brer Fox followed him and saw him *mp into the bcket and disappear
down the well.
Brer Fox was p%%led. ,hy wold Brer Rabbit go into the well/ !hen he thoght0 &" bet
he has some money hidden away down there and has gone to check p on it.& Brer Fox
crept p to the well, listening closely to see if he cold hear anything. (e didn$t hear
nothing. (e peered down into the well, bt all was dark and #iet, on accont of Brer
Rabbit holding so still so the bcket woldn$t tip him into the water.
Finally, Brer Fox shoted down into the well0 &Brer Rabbit, what yo doing down there/&
Brer Rabbit perked p at once, reali%ing that this might be his chance to get ot of the
well.
&"$m a fishing down here, Brer Fox,& says he. &" thoght "$d srprise e)eryone with a mess
of fresh fish for lnch. !here$s some real nice fish down here.&
&(ow many fish are there/& asked Brer Fox skeptically, sre that the rascally rabbit was
really conting his gold.
&Scores and scores'& cried Brer Rabbit. &,hy don$t yo come on down and help me carry
them ot/&
,ell, that was the in)itation Brer Fox was waiting for. (e was going to go down into that
well and get him some of Brer Rabbit$s gold.
&(ow do " get down there/& asked Brer Fox.
Brer Rabbit grinned. Brer Fox was mch hea)ier than he was. "f Brer Fox *mped into
the empty bcket at the top, then Brer Rabbit$s bcket wold go p, and Brer Fox$s
bcket wold go down' So he said0 &1est *mp into the bcket, Brer Fox.&
,ell, Brer Fox *mped into the empty bcket, and down it plmmeted into the dark well.
(e passed Brer Rabbit abot halfway down. Brer Rabbit was clinging to the sides of the
bcket with all his might $case it was mo)ing so fast. &2oodbye Brer Fox,& he shoted
as he rose. &3ike the saying goes, some folks go p, and some go down' 4o shold make
it to the bottom all safe and sond.&
Brer Rabbit *mped ot of the well and ran back to the garden patch to tell the other
critters that Brer Fox was down in the well mddying p the waters. !hen he danced back
to the well and shoted down to Brer Fox0 &!here$s a hnting man coming along to get a
drink o$ water, Brer Fox. ,hen he hals yo p, yo$d best rn away as fast as yo can'&
!hen Brer Rabbit went back to the garden patch. ,hen the thirsty hnter haled p the
bcket fll of water, a wet and shaky Brer Fox sprang ot and ran away before the hnter
cold grab for his gn.
+n hor later, Brer Fox and Brer Rabbit were both back in the garden, digging and
haling away debris and acting like nothing had happened. Except e)ery once in a while,
Brer Fox wold look sideways at Brer Rabbit and grin, and the rascally rabbit wold start
to lagh and lagh $case both of them had looked so silly plmmeting p and down in
that ol$ dark well.
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