What Mr. Fox had planned was a pretty smart idea. He had come across some extra paint cans the other day and figured he could use them to catch Brer Rabbit. Earlier that morning, Mr. Fox found a part of the road that had a large section of rock right next to it, and get to work with his plan. Mr. Fox painted what looked like a tunnel and a road going through the rock. Apparently Mr. Fox was a great painter, as the tunnel he painted looked as though it was the real thing.
(Tunnel Painted Over Rock: Animation Backgrounds - Rob Richards)
Anyways, back to Brer Rabbit coming up the road. As Brer Rabbit came up to Mr. Fox, he asked, "Where you going there Mr. Rabbit?"
A little startled, Mr. Rabbit replied, "Well I'm just hopping down to the gardens looking to score me some carrots for dinner."
Eager to get his plan in motion, Mr. Fox quickly replied, "Don't cha have to go through the briar patch in order to get there?"
"It's not too bad, I only get a couple cuts and scrapes each time I go through there." responded Mr. Rabbit.
"It sounds to me that if you had a shortcut it would make life a lot easier for you." said Mr. Fox in a sly voice.
Curious, Mr. Rabbit asked, "You wouldn't happen to know about a new shortcut now would ya?"
"I reckon I stumbled across one this morning just up the road. Some people made a new road through the rock. I bet it will save you a lot of time!" said Mr. Fox.
"Alright, I will go check it out then!" responded Mr. Rabbit.
So Mr. Rabbit went down the road and took a look at this new shortcut that Mr. Fox had told him about. As he hopped up to the "tunnel" he noticed the paint cans that Mr. Fox had lazily tried to hide behind a bush. Thinking quickly on his feet, while Mr. Fox wasn't looking, Mr. Rabbit drew a small version of himself on the tunnel so it looked like he had passed through. After he finished he hid behind the bush that the paint cans were hidden.
Mr. Rabbit then yelled out, "Thanks for telling me about the shortcut Mr. Fox! It will help me out a lot!"
Confused, Mr. Fox quickly looked over, and sure enough there was Mr. Rabbit at the end of the tunnel. So in a quick lapse of judgement, Mr. Fox ran after the Mr. Rabbit that was on the tunnel and POW... Mr. Fox ran right into the rock.
After Mr. Rabbit heard the loud bang from Mr. Fox running into the rock, he jumped out from behind the bush with his face beaming with a wry grin.
"Better luck next time Mr. Fox!!!!" yelled Mr. Rabbit as he hopped back home.
Authors Note:
When I first read The Wonderful Tar-Baby from the Brer Rabbit reading unit, it reminded me of when I used to watch the Wile E. Coyote and Roadrunner cartoons. This story was a combination of those cartoons and the Brer Rabbit stories. In the original story, Mr. Rabbit comes across a "Tar-Baby," mistaking it for a person he starts talking to it. When the "Tar-Baby" doesn't respond Mr. Rabbit gets angry and hits it. When this happens his hand gets stuck to the "Tar-Baby." Eventually all of Mr. Rabbit's limbs get stuck to the "Tar-Baby."
Bibliography:
Story Title: The Wonderful Tar-Baby
Story Author: Joel Chandler Harris
Year: 1881
Source: The Wonderful Tar-Baby
I really love how your story was a combination of Brer Rabbit and Wyle E. Coyote and the Road Runner! Personally, they made me think of a combination of that cartoon and Tom and Jerry. This story was absolutely fantastic! Job well done! Inspiring and fun piece of work. Keep it up!
ReplyDeleteThis seemed like a classic Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner cartoon, and the image helped reinforce that. I love those stories, and I think these Brer Rabbit stories fit into the same mold and design. I really enjoyed reading it, possibly because I love the stories and the old cartoons. I also applaud how you handled such a subject as the "Tar-Baby". Kudos, and I hope to read more of your stuff throughout the semester. Keep it up, man!
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