Once upon a time there was a bunny that had blue ears the color of sky. When he noticed that the other rabbits did not have the same colored ears, he was very embarrassed. He stopped playing with them and preferred to be alone.
The only friend he had was the moon that appeared in the night sky. The bunny told him all his sadness, but the moon never answered him.
The bunny decided to leave and look for a place where no one knew him.
Wherever he went, however, everyone was amazed at his blue ears and laughed at him.
“My place is not here, and it’s my blue ears to blame.”
One day, passing a house, he found the hat of a chimney sweep on the floor.
That’s exactly what I need! Thought the bunny. And hid his ears under his hat.
He learned to climb chimneys, work with his broom, and clean the stoves.
“I belong to the chimney sweep corporation now,” said the bunny.
But one day his hat got stuck in the chimney and the other chimney sweeps saw his blue ears. They immediately started laughing and shouting:
– You’re not a serious chimney sweep!
The embarrassed bunny ran away and only the moon accompanied him.
Then he found a chef’s hat in front of a restaurant.
That’s exactly what I need! Thought the bunny. And hid his ears under the chef’s hat.
He learned how to handle a fryer, how to cook vegetables and roast meat.
“I’m part of the cook corporation now,” said the bunny.
But one day the hat flew to his soup and the other cooks saw his blue ears. Then they began to laugh and shout:
– You’re not a real cook!
The embarrassed bunny ran away and only the moon accompanied him.
In front of a house, he found a gardener’s hat.
This is exactly what I need! Thought the bunny. And hid his ears under the gardener’s hat.
He learned to dig, to plant trees, and to take care of flowers.
“I belong to the gardeners’ corporation now,” said the bunny.
But one day a strong gust of wind ripped his hat from his head and the other gardeners saw his blue ears. They immediately started laughing and shouting:
– You’re not a serious gardener!
The embarrassed bunny ran away and only the moon accompanied him.
As he passed a circus, he found a clown’s hat.
That’s exactly what I need! Thought the bunny. And he hid his ears under his clown hat.
At the circus, he learned to trip over his feet and make faces.
“I belong to the clown corporation now,” said the bunny.
Until one day, a monkey stole his hat from his head and the other clowns saw his blue ears. They began to laugh and shout:
– You’re not a real clown!
The embarrassed bunny ran away and only the moon accompanied him.
Once he found under a bridge a tramp’s hat.
That’s exactly what I need! Thought the bunny. And he hid his ears under his tramp’s hat.
He learned to be lazy, to lie in the shade, and to dream during the day.
“I’m part of the tramp corporation now.”
But one day the river took her hat and the other tramps turned their blue ears.
– You’re not a real bum!
So the bunny didn’t want to run away or wear any more hats. He sat on the edge of a stream in the woods.
“I’m not a serious chimney sweeper, not a cook, not a gardener, not a clown, and I’m not a bum either.” After all, what am I?
At that moment, the moon appeared in the sky and turned the stream into a mirror. Then the bunny discovered another bunny himself. And the rabbit had blue ears. The more he looked at himself in the moonlight, the more he liked those ears, his ears.
Until he suddenly found out: It was not his ears that were blamed for his unhappiness, but that he felt ashamed of them.
The bunny ran, and only the moon accompanied him. Along the way, he met the vagabonds, the clowns, the gardeners, the cooks, and the chimney sweeps. They proudly showed their blue ears and no one thought of laughing at them.
The bunny was happy with everything he had learned: climbing the chimney, working with the broom, cleaning stoves, holding a frying pan, cooking vegetables, roasting meat, digging the earth, planting trees, caring of flowers, playing the trumpet, tripping over their feet, grimacing, lazing, lying in the shade and dreaming. Max Bolliger S Risefäscht Aarau, AT Verlag, 1990 Adapted text
