The staring game
Mozambican folktale
Zito Jorge Ngovene

A long time ago, the rabbit and the snake were good friends.

1

One day they began to chat with each other.

But the rabbit was much cleverer than the snake, and the snake knew it!

2

So, they discussed who could stare the longest. The snake said, "Let's try it. I will win by staring at you."

So the rabbit agreed to the staring game.

3

The snake and the rabbit began to stare.

They kept on doing it for several minutes.

4

Then the snake got tired.

So he got out of his body and only his skin was left looking at the rabbit.

5

The rabbit continued looking at the snake's skin for several hours.

6

The rabbit thought he was the cleverest animal, but on that day, his cleverness was ended.

And that's why to this day, the rabbit sleeps with his eyes open!

7
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The staring game
Author - Mozambican folktale
Illustration - Zito Jorge Ngovene
Language - English
Level - First sentences