The Magic Flutes/The Chain
THE CHAIN
Behind the mountains and beyond the water lies a little land. The people there haven’t an Emperor to rule over them. No, they have only a Rabbit King.
And how little they pay King Rabbit for that office! Only one row of parsley and one of lettuce. The King sits on a poor sort of throne. He hasn’t even a crown.
Instead of a crown his head is adorned with a pretty pair of ears. They are not just ordinary ears, for they have a rare gift. They hear every sigh of suffering or sorrows in the whole kingdom. If a tiny ant cries, they hear it. Even when they are asleep, they hear.
“The Starling comes here for lettuce and the Blackbird steals berries, and chained as I am, I can do nothing. If I were only free, every country lad bent on stealing would fare badly! But as it is, even if a robber came to carry off your royal self, I could do nothing to prevent it.
“Ah, King Rabbit, you and your kingdom will perish if we are ruled over by the ball and chain!“
At this King Rabbit dropped his ears in grief. He lay awake until midnight thinking: “What can I do? When at last he fell asleep, he heard in his dreams the clank of fetters and chains. He was hardly able to breathe.
Right at dawn, he had Parliament called. Every member of the village who had four feet, had one vote in it. King Rabbit walked sadly towards the Hall of Sessions. He did not know how to rid his land of slavery.
At the gate, whom should he meet but the sixth Mouse son. Mousie was playing a fanfare on his flute. At once the good King felt better. He pricked up his ears, gave a joyous skip.
Hurrah, he knows it now: how to do away with chains.
Strike off the accurséd shackles from every neck they weigh,“ rang out his words to the Assembly. “Bury them deep in the ground. I’ll set an army to guard the tomb so that they will never be seen again.“
All the members of Parliament greatly applauded their King. They promptly ordered the Mole to bring a Spade and hoe.
The Mole dug down and down to three full fathoms under ground. There he laid the fetters. Hardly had he done so, than the guardian army came in sight. True, there were only three soldiers in the army, but they were led by a General. Together they were quite enough to see that the chains should rust there for ever and ever.
How happy everyone was to know that slavery was at an end! The whole nation flocked to a glorious Fair. Candies and pastries scented the air. Old and young stuffed their mouths with the dainties, and 
carried home cornucopias filled with good things to eat.
When King Rabbit returned, he was presented by his subjects with three seeds of parsley and three seeds of lettuce, as a mark of their appreciation.
He planted the seeds in his land of liberty.— —Little Rabbit, may you harvest a big crop!
