3 Rabbits, a tale for my children

 As a small boy I heard a tale of 3 rabbits, and this is mostly how I told it to my kids when they were little. This ones for Jessica, April and Caleb.. who are not rabbits.

Once upon a time a mother rabbit lived in the woods with her 3 baby rabbits... Foot, Foot Foot and Foot Foot Foot. She had named one of the rabbits Foot, another one Foot Foot, not Foot and the third rabbit Foot Foot Foot, not Foot or Foot Foot as she already had a Foot and a Foot Foot.

The three rabbits, Foot, Foot Foot and Foot Foot Foot all played together in the woods near their burrow where mother rabbit could keep a close eye on them.

One spring day mother rabbit was in the burrow doing housework, as mother rabbits often did, the three baby rabbits... Foot, Foot Foot and Foot Foot Foot played a game in the field of hide-n-go-seek. Sometimes Foot and Foot Foot would hide from Foot Foot Foot, sometimes it was Foot Foot Foot, not Foot who would join Foot Foot in hiding and sometimes it was Foot and Foot Foot Foot who hid from Foot Foot.

It was Foot's turn to seek Foot Foot and Foot Foot Foot in the game as Foot Foot Foot, not Foot Foot, had just had a turn. Foot Foot, not Foot Foot Foot hid from Foot in a nice big hollow log and Foot Foot Foot hid from Foot, not Foot Foot as Foot Foot was already hiding, in a patch of field daises.

After too long of a time Foot Foot, not Foot Foot Foot, came out of the log to look for Foot... not Foot Foot Foot who was hiding from Foot in the daises. Foot Foot began to call out Foot's name and Foot Foot Foot, not Foot, came out to see why Foot Foot was hollering for Foot.

Foot Foot and Foot Foot Foot began to search for the missing Foot. It was Foot who was missing and not Foot Foot or Foot Foot Foot, as they were searching for Foot.

Some distance from the burrow Foot Foot and Foot Foot Foot found the missing Foot and Foot, who was found by Foot Foot and Foot Foot Foot was very ill. It was not Foot Foot or Foot Foot Foot who was very ill, but Foot.

Foot Foot Foot told Foot Foot, not Foot who was very ill, to run back to the burrow and tell mother that Foot was in the field and was very ill. That is that it was Foot who was very ill and not Foot Foot Foot who was very ill.

So Foot Foot, not Foot Foot Foot or the very ill Foot told mother rabbit that Foot, not Foot Foot Foot was very ill and that mother rabbit should come very quickly. Mother rabbit went with Foot Foot, not Foot or Foot Foot Foot to where Foot Foot Foot was watching over Foot.

Once mother rabbit reached the very ill Foot and the watchful Foot Foot Foot, not Foot Foot as Foot Foot was already with mother rabbit... mother rabbit sent Foot Foot Foot, not the very ill Foot or Foot Foot to fetch the doctor for Foot.

The doctor came to check on Foot with Foot Foot Foot but not Foot Foot as Foot Foot was already with mother rabbit watching over the very ill Foot.
Foot died.
Mother rabbit, Foot Foot and Foot Foot Foot buried Foot who had died.

A few days passed and one morning mother rabbit called Foot Foot and Foot Foot Foot, not the recently dead Foot, down to breakfast and only Foot Foot Foot came down, not Foot Foot. Mother rabbit asked Foot Foot Foot where Foot Foot was and Foot Foot Foot said Foot Foot was still in bed. It was Foot Foot, not Foot Foot Foot who was very ill this time and the doctor was sent for to take care of Foot Foot, not Foot Foot Foot who was fine.

When the doctor arrived to care for Foot Foot, not the well Foot Foot Foot but the sick Foot Foot the doctor told mother rabbit that it looked like Foot Foot was going to die, not Foot Foot Foot as he was well.
and mother rabbit said...
no no no, this won't do...........
I already have one Foot in the grave!

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Below is the tale as I found it on the internet and this from Mel Tillis.


One fine summer day, three rabbits named Foot Foot Foot, Foot Foot, and Foot were sitting in their rabbit den. Foot Foot Foot and Foot Foot were the big rabbits and Foot was just a wee little critter.

While Foot Foot Foot,Foot Foot, and Foot were playing their rabbit games, Foot Foot looked at Foot Foot Foot and Foot and said, “I’m hungry!”

“So are we,” said Foot Foot Foot and Foot.

“But where can we get some food? “asked Foot of Foot Foot Foot and Foot Foot.

“I know,” said Foot Foot, “Foot Foot Foot and I can hop over the Farmer Brown’s cabbage patch. And after we eat, we can bring some back for you.”

Wee little baby Foot stamped his foot and said, “But I don’t want to stay here! I wanna go with you and Foot Foot Foot!”

“Now Foot,” said Foot Foot Foot, “Don’t make me put my foot down. You know that Foot Foot and I are bigger and faster and thus can get away from Farmer Brown.”

So finally, Foot agreed with Foot Foot and Foot Foot Foot that he would stay in the rabbit den and Foot Foot Foot and Foot Foot would go over and eat the cabbage.

Foot Foot Foot and Foot Foot hopped over the Farmer Brown’s garden and started munching happily away on the cabbage. The cabbage was very good and Foot Foot and Foot Foot Foot were very hungry.

All of a sudden there was a loud foot fall and Foot Foot Foot and Foot Foot ran and hid, thinking it was Farmer Brown with his shotgun coming to get them.

After it was quite, Foot Foot Foot and Foot Foot looked around the cabbage they were hiding behind.

“It’s just me!” said Foot, suprising Foot Foot Foot and Foot Foot.

“Foot, you are a very bad rabbit,” said Foot Foot Foot. “You know Foot Foot and I told you to stay home.

“I know,” said Foot, “but when I saw you happily munching on the cabbage, I said to myself, ‘I should go join my brothers Foot Foot Foot and Foot Foot and eat the cabbage too.’ “

“Well,” said Foot Foot to Foot Foot Foot, “Since he is already here, Foot might as well stay.”

“Yes, Foot Foot, you’re right” said Foot Foot Foot, “since Foot is already here, he can stay.”

So Foot Foot Foot, Foot Foot, and Foot again started munching happily away on the cabbage.

Then Foot Foot Foot heard a loud noise. “I see you rabbits! And this time I’ll get you for sure!” yelled Farmer Brown.

Foot Foot Foot yelled to Foot Foot and Foot, “Run for your lives Foot Foot and Foot!” and scrambled back towards the rabbit den.

Now since Foot Foot Foot and Foot Foot were the older and faster rabbits, they made it back to the den before Foot did. And right as Foot Foot Foot and Foot Foot thought Foot was going to make it, BLAM!! roared the shotgun.

After a bit, Foot Foot Foot and Foot Foot looked outside. To their sorrow, there was poor Foot lieing their dead, killed by Farmer Brown’s shotgun.

Foot Foot loooked at Foot Foot Foot and said, “we can’t just leave Foot there, Foot Foot Foot.”

“Quite right Foot Foot,” agreed Foot Foot Foot. “Let’s give Foot a proper rabbit burial.”

So Foot Foot Foot and Foot Foot dragged little foot to his favorite spot in the meadow and started digging. And they dug, and they dug, and they dug (remember Foot Foot Foot and Foot Foot don’t have opposable thumbs).

They were almost done covering Foot up when Foot Foot looks up a Foot Foot Foot and says, “All this work has made me hungry again. Come on Foot Foot Foot, let’s go back to the garden and eat more cabbage.”

“Foot Foot are you crazy?!?” exclaims Foot Foot Foot. “Can’t you see that we already have one Foot in the grave?”