A snake
and a rabbit were racing along a
pair of intersecting forest pathways
one day, when they collided at
the intersection. They immediately began
to argue with one another as
to who was at fault for the mishap.
When the snake remarked
that he had been blind since birth, and thus
should be given
additional leeway, the rabbit said that he, too, had been
blind since birth.
The two animals then forgot about the collision and
began
commiserating concerning the problems of being blind.
The snake said
that his greatest regret was the loss of his identity.
He had never
been able to see his reflection in the water, and for that
reason did
not know exactly what he looked like, or even what he was.
The
rabbit declared that he had the same problem. Seeing a way that they
could help each other, the rabbit proposed that one feel the other from
head to toe, and then try to describe what the other animal w
as.
The snake agreed, and started by winding himself around
the rabbit.
After a few moments, he announced, „You’ve got very
soft, fuzzy fur,
long ears, big rear feet, and a little fuzzy ball for
a tail. I think that
you must be a bunny rabbit!“
The
rabbit was much relieved to find his identity, and proceeded to
return
the favor to the snake. After feeling about the snake’s body for a
few minutes, he asserted, „Well, you’re scaly, you’re slimy, you’ve
got beady little eyes, you squirm and slither all the time, and
you’ve
got a forked tongue. I think you’re a lawyer!“
