The King and I

I am sorry to disappoint you if you thought I was Deborah Kerr playing Anna Leonowens with Yul Brynner as the King of Siam. I am an ordinary rabbit. Let me tell you my story although  Aesop has already brought it  to you.

Years ago, there was an arrogant and capricious lion in our forest. He was called King Leo. He would kill all kinds of animals for food. That is quite understandable. After all, Kings and other members of the upper class thrive on the flesh and blood of ordinary folks.

But King Leo would kill mindlessly even when he wasn't hungry. When his atrocities crossed all limits, my brothers and sisters got together to find a way to stop him. Some of hot-blooded youngsters suggested that we kill the wretched predator. The older and wiser ones rubbished such plans.  They said it was easier to catch a cloud than kill a lion.

Finally, we worked out a solution. It was simple. We would send an animal every morning without fail to King Leo's court provided he stopped hunting us mindlessly. This was painful, but there appeared to be no other way to survive. King Leo agreed.

I told my brothers and sisters that this was ridiculous. I'm not surprised that nobody took me seriously. Not even tortoises take rabbits seriously any more.

Finally, it was my turn. I was young and dreaming of raising my own family. I didn't want to be gobbled up. But the elders had given their word. They insisted that I go.

That is when I really thought hard about getting rid of this menace. It was not possible to kill him. I wondered if I could persuade him to kill himself. I analysed King Leo's strengths and weaknesses. He had tremendous power and speed, and the supreme confidence that comes from being King.

He wanted everyone to accept him as King. He wouldn’t tolerate any rivals. I decided to play on it. I sat under a tree for quite some time and arrived late at King Leo's court. He was furiously pacing up and down. Obviously he didn't like to be kept waiting. I ran towards him and pretended to be panting.

King Leo was livid. His dinner was delayed. And that dinner was a tiny rabbit. He would need to eat at least five rabbits to bring down his hunger. He was about to strike me when I cried out tremblingly, “I’m sorry I’m late, but It's not my fault, it's not my fault!” Fortunately, he waited for a moment. Using that little opening, I continued: “There were six of us coming to you; but another big lion stopped us and ate my brothers. I'm the only one that escaped.”

“Don't be silly,” growled King Leo. “I am the Almighty King of this forest. There can't be any King but me.”

“That is what I also thought, your Majesty,” I said. “But this big lion not only ate my brothers up but also said that you were a doddering old impostor.”

“Take me to that b-----d right away,” he roared. I led him to a deep well with a lot of water at the bottom. I told him his rival was in the well. King Leo peered into the well, and he was shocked. He let out a huge roar to frighten the other lion. But he got back a roar that appeared a little louder. He couldn't stand it any longer. He decided to teach his rival a lesson. He jumped into the well. He never got out of it.

I don’t know if King Leo or his ‘rival’ learned any lesson. But I learned something: smart persuasion with brilliant framing can overcome many hurdles that appear insurmountable.