Foreword:
This fable represents fear of the unknown, even when it is inconsequential. It is numbered 138 in the Perry Index (as 138. The Hares and the Frogs), and also popularly titled as 'The frightened Hares'. There are many analogues of this fable including the Buddhist, Jataka Tales, associated with the idiom "the sky is falling".
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Once, in the forest, lived a drove of hares.
The hares, being timid, are always scurrying in fright to their hiding place on the least shadow or sound.
Even the thud of fruits falling from trees, or rustling among the leaves due to wind, would frighten them and send them scurrying, as if the sky was falling on them.
Then, there was the real threat of being hunted and persecuted by predatory beasts. They lived their lives in perpetual alarm, to which they were exposed.
On a typical day, they were chased by a fox, hunting hares for food. As the fox approached, they ran and scurried into holes and other safe places to save themselves.
After the fox withdrew, they waited for a long time, and started cautiously coming out of their safe places, only after they were confidently assured of their security.
But, after the fox was gone, they heard dogs barking.
Once again, they ran and scurried into holes and other safe places to hide themselves.
Before coming back into the open, they waited a long time, with their hearts thumping in fear, till they could no longer hear them barking.
It was a terrible day for them, and it was a terrible way of living, some of them started saying. At about the same time, they heard sound of approaching footsteps!
"Wild horses! Run and hide to save yourselves!", one of them shouted.
And again, they ran and scurried into holes and other safe places to hide themselves.
The wild horses paid no heed, and went away as fast as they had approached. But, for the hares, it was a terrible experience, as if an earthquake had just passed by.
When the wild horses were finally gone, the hares regrouped back in the open.
The hares were apparently fed-up of their meaningless lives of constant panic, and unitedly decided to end their lives, rather than live in such a continual state of fear.
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They debated on how best to meet their death. After much thinking, and weighing opinions and options, they decided to end their lives by drowning themselves.
United by such decision, and determined to drown themselves, the hares scuttled off to a nearby lake.
As they approached the lake, they heard strange noises from the lake.
No longer frightened of death, they started investigating, and soon realized it was the noise of frogs, that lived in the lake and surrounding swamps, scampering in fear.
"But, fear of what?", they stopped to enquire.
After much convincing, some of the frogs, who had hidden themselves, started appearing in water and from behind the leaves.
The hares were surprised, that the frogs were indeed frightened of them approaching the lake.
"How frightened these poor little frogs are!", said one of the hares, while another said, "How miserable their lives must be, to be afraid of harmless creatures like us!"
They agreed, that the frogs were perhaps more afraid of them, than the hares are frightended of their own enemies.
The hares realized how much better off they were, compared to the lives of the frogs. Unitedly they decided against drowning themselves, but agreed, from the example of the frogs, to learn to bear patiently the inconveniences that nature has bestowed upon them.
Moral:
Our own are not the only troubles.
Or,
However unfortunate we may think we are, there is always someone worse off than ourselves.
Summary:
The hares are fast, but also very timid. They are easily frightened by other animals in the forest, and scurry in fright to a hiding place on the slightest sound. For once, they get tired of being afraid all the time, and decide to end their misery by drowning themselves. When they reach a nearby pond to drown themselves, they find the frogs in the pond scurring and leaping out of fear. They are surprised that the frogs were afraid of them, and that they were not alone in such misery.