A LAUGHING PLACE
Brer Rabbit was about to be eaten by Brer and Brer Fox when he suddenly burst out with peals of laughter from just having remembered his laughing place. Overcome by curiosity, Brer Bear and Bear Fox took Bear Rabbit on a leash to his laughing place. They arrived at a big clearing which had a huge tree in the center. Brer Rabbit lost it completely. Laughed till he cried. Brer Bear and Brer Fox ran to the tree and peered into a large dark hole that was in the trunk of the tree hoping to see what was so funny. Rather than being amused, though, they were attacked by a swarm of bees. They ran away, swatting and yelling and, in the process, letting go of Bear Rabbit’s leash. Said rabbit was rolling on the ground and laughing all the more. Bear Fox and Brer Bear hollered their complaint, “Brer Rabbit, you said this was a laughing place. Brer Rabbit, rolling on the ground and drunk with laughter, replied, “I said this is my laughing place, and it is. This is the funniest thing I ever did see.
This passage is a retelling of a cl-assic Brer Rabbit folktale, part of the larger body of African American folklore that originated in the Southern United States. The Brer Rabbit stories are known for their clever, trickster protagonist—Brer Rabbit—who consistently outsmarts his stronger but less clever adversaries, such as Brer Fox and Brer Bear.
