At the edge of the forest lay a wide, still lake, and everyone called it Moon Lake — for at night the moon's reflection shone across its calm water. In the banks a family of hares had dug their burrows, and the smallest of them was the cleverest.
Then one year a terrible drought came, and the elephants' own pond dried right up to dust. Wild with thirst, their king gave the order. "To Moon Lake!" And thud… thud… thud… the great herd came marching, shaking the earth with every step.
The herd came crashing down onto the banks, and under those enormous feet, burrow after burrow caved in and crumbled. The little baby hares cried out, "Our homes — they're all gone! Where will we go now?"
Now you tell me — how could one tiny hare ever stop a whole herd of giant elephants? While the others wept, he sat very still and thought long and hard. And all at once his eyes lit up. "What strength can't do, a clever head can."
The hare sprang up onto a high rock, puffed out his little chest and called in the biggest voice he had. "Stop, O King! I am the messenger of Uncle Moon himself. You have muddied his lake — and he is very, very angry!" The king stopped short.
The hare led the king right down to the water's edge. "Look there — Uncle Moon himself!" But the moment the king dipped his head to drink, the water rippled and the reflection shivered and shook — as if Uncle Moon were shaking with anger! The king's heart gave a frightened thud.
"Forgive us, Uncle Moon! We'll never come here again!" And with that the king backed away on tiptoe and led his whole herd home. All along the banks, the hares danced and danced for joy.