Thomas the squirrel gazed out over the wide river and wondered, as he often did, what it was like on the other side.  He often sat on the highest branch of the tallest tree in the forest and peered through the leaves at the smudge on the horizon that was that distant shore.  In his mind he created a land where he did not have to worry about the hawk swooping down from above or the cat stalking among the lower branches, where the snake didn't eat their young and dogs didn't chase them from the ground as they gathered nuts.  As his stomach had constantly reminded him over the winter, gathering nuts hadn't been easy and his family had done with less than usual.  There just seemed to be too many predators.  The rabbits complained about it as did the chipmunks, beavers and even the rats who Thomas cared little for because they were often part of the problem, stealing the food of others if they were not watched carefully.
    There were also fewer nuts to go around.  There seemed to be a lot more squirrels these days, and as the number of trees had not increased, there were fewer nuts to go around.  He shook his furry head and thought that there must be a better way.  As he climbed down the tree to head home he heard a faint rustle above his head and, jumping quickly to a lower branch, narrowly avoided the clutches of a red hawk.  The hawk squawked at him as it circled and Thomas hurried into a hole in the tree.  He was panting, it was the fourth close call in a week.  As he hid in the hole, listening intently and waiting until the coast was clear, he began to formulate a plan.  He was leaving.  He was going to cross the river.  Of course it wasn't that simple.  There was no way he could swim across, it was far to wide and the current too strong.  And he didn't want to go alone, he would have to bring his family.  Perhaps they could move a large branch into the river and float across.  He pondered the details and possibilities huddled in the hole in the tree.  While his plan was far from complete he felt better than he had for a long time.  At least he had something to look forward to.
  His wife took little convincing.  She worried about their little ones, two of whom had already been lost to a snake.  What was surprising was how quickly word of his endeavor spread.  Soon all of the animals of the forest were talking about it.  Some thought it a splendid idea and expressed a desire to come along.  Other were of the opposite opinion and assured themselves that any who attempted the trip would surely drown.  Some were encouraging because they wanted a few less creatures in the forest.  Soon the plan was laid down.  The beavers would cut down the hollow tree by the water's edge and they would move it into the current and head across the river.  Several beavers also expressed an interest in going and would assist in pushing the log across the river.  They would store up some supplies for the journey and to meet their needs upon their arrival, or at least until they could settle in.  It seemed simple enough but putting it into action seemed to take forever.  Many of those who expressed a desire to go became indecisive and the accumulation of supplies was delayed as much by that as by the predators.  The tree was also harder for the beavers to fell than had been imagined so it was late summer by the time preparations were complete.  Then came a series of great storms which roiled the river to a point no one dared go near it.  Some said it was all a bad omen but Thomas and his fellow travelers were committed.  They had, in fact, no choice.  The preparations had taken up too much time and they had not put enough away for the winter, they had to go.
    The day of departure finally arrived.  It was a warm, early fall day.  The beavers worked on the last of the tree all morning and when it fell with a great crash and splash, they all cheered.  But there was not a moment to lose for they had to get all the stores inside the hollow space in the log before the current pulled it way from the shore.  All the animals worked furiously to pack them and soon they were ready to leave.  There were fifteen families of squirrels, four families of rabbits, twenty chipmunks,  six possums, two families of groundhogs and five beavers who committed to the trip.  Amidst much fanfare and cheering, the animals pushed and pulled on the log until it finally broke free of the muddy shoreline and carried them off on their great adventure.
    It was not an easy trip.  The river was very wide and the currents very strong.  The beavers did their best to direct the log but it seemed to most that their efforts had little effect on their speed or direction.  By the third day it appeared they were only halfway accross when a vicious storm blew up.  The log rolled violently as waves broke over the miserable animals.  It was all they could do to hang on.  The storm, however, had done more to push them toward the other side in one night than the beavers had in three days of strenuous effort.  Their progress had come at great cost, however.  When the sky cleared and the sun came up in the morning, it was found that three rabbits, a possum and four young squirrels had been lost.  Although almost too exhausted to mourn their losses, Thomas said a few words in remembrance and tried to inspire the others.  When the sun rose on the fifth day, the opposite shore could be clearly seen and they knew that their goal was within reach.  The poor, tired beavers padled furiously for hours on end as the others shouted words of encouragement.  But they spent two more fearful nights on the log, which had now become waterlogged and seemed in danger of sinking.  On the afternoon of the seventh day, however, the log bumped against the shoreline and there was a great celebration among all the animals as they scampered onto dry land at last.
    Thomas called for a feast and several of the squirrels began bringing out the food they had stored in the log.  What they found horrified them.  There in the log were two families of rats that had sneaked aboard and had eaten a good portion of their supplies!  There was a great hullabaloo for they all immediately understood the implications of the discovery-with little time to prepare for the winter, the stores they were depending on we greatly depleted.  Everyone was angry and they brought out the rats, who trembled as the group surrounded them.  Some were calling for the beavers to grab them and drown them in the river.  Thomas, however, put himself between the rats and the others and pleaded for their lives, saying that they should not mar their arrival with the shedding of blood.  The rabbits, who were the most vocal in calling for the death of the rats, then said they should be forced to replace all the lost food, and then some.  Most of the animals agreed and Thomas decided that was probably best.
    That fall the animals busied themselves preparing for the winter as best they could, and explored their new found home.  Thomas found it to be even better than he had imagined.  There were few native inhabitants and the predators were even fewer.  There was an abundance of food although this late in the season, even with such great bounty, gathering the requisite amount was going to be impossible.  Everyone knew this and it made them very angry at the rats.  Although the rats did work tirelessly, they were abused by many of the other animals, particularly the rabbits.  Some of the others began to feel sorry for the rats and thought that the rabbits were misusing the rats so they didn't have to work as hard.  But Thomas and the others were too busy to do anything about it. 
    That first winter was very harsh.  A cold wind blew in at the beginning and covered the ground with snow, a snow that did not disappear for months.  Because they had spent so much time foraging and storing food, the animals had not had time to properly prepare shelter for themselves.  The beavers shivered in their half completed home behind a half completed dam.  The rabbits fought off the cold in a warren that was too small and not deep enough underground.  Thomas and his family huddled together in the trees and wondered if they were going to make it.  None of the animals ventured out much that whole winter, only the chipmunks occasionally scampered around and spread bits of news, none of which was good.  The young and old were succumbing to the cold and scarcity.  When they finally emerged in the spring, four whole families of squirrels had perished along with several rabbits, some chipmunks, two possums and one beaver.  Half the rats had died but there were not very many that were sorry about that.
    As the land began to turn green and reveal it's bounty, the starving animals gorged themselves on the plenty of their new home.  But soon there were disputes among the animals as they established their homes.  The rabbits seemed to be everywhere and often ranged into the homes of other animals for food and the chipmunks, who were carefree and cared not for boundaries, took whatever they could find, even that which clearly belonged to others.  After one particularly violent altercation between a chipmunk and a possum, Thomas called the animals together for a meeting.  It was decided that some organization and rules were going to be necessary.  First it was decided that any decisions should be decided by a majority vote among all the animals.  The rabbits objected to this because they didn't think the rats should be included because they had caused so much hardship, and they hadn't been invited along in the first place.  Several other animals thought this was a good idea.  Although Thomas thought this unfair because the rats had certainly suffered more than the others for their mistake, he agreed in the interest of harmony.  To make sure that some form of vengeance was not taken on the rats later on and that disputes did not get out of hand, it was also agreed that no animal would kill another.    Finally, they decided that everything in the forest belonged to everyone equally and there would be a common store for the winter.  Everyone thought this was a wonderful idea and the meeting broke up.
    The spring gave way to summer and all the animals were happier than they could remember.  There was plenty of food for all, homes were expanded and finished, there were still few predators and their population grew.  It was wonderful for everyone except the rats.  The rabbits had pressed them into service to do their work for them.  After one of the rats was stomped viscously by one of the rabbits for not arranging the bedding in the warren properly, the rats protested to the other animals.  But everytime the assembly came together to address the issue, the rabbits, who had multiplied greatly, reminded the other animals of the treachery of the rats and received enough votes to block any remedy, for many thought the rats deserved their treatment.
    Summer turned to fall and Thomas became somewhat alarmed by the state of the winter stores.  There was not nearly enough.  It seemed as if everyone had assumed that the others were filling the storehouse.  This was particularly true of the rabbits and the chipmunks.  The rabbits had forced the rats to do all their work but that work usually entailed expansion of the warren or bringing food to the lazy rabbits.  The chipmunks were just too carefree and assumed that everyone else was doing the job and spent their time playing.  This made the other animals angry but they weren't blameless either.  Even the industrious squirrels and beavers had spent less time working for storage, assuming the others were taking care of it.  Soon everyone was working furiously just as they had the previous fall, racing against time to make up the shortfall.
    Unfortunately, winter came early that year.  Thomas was placed in charge of the storehouse and dealt as fairly as he could but many of the animals grumbled about giving food to those who had been slackers all summer, particularly the rabbits and the chipmunks.  The rabbits complained about giving food to the rats who they thought didn't deserve anything.  All told, there was a lot of scarcity that winter and a few of the young ones were lost but they emerged in better shape than they had the winter before.  They did not, however, want to starve the next winter.  It was obvious to everyone that putting all the food in common was not going to work.  It was decided in assembly to remove the statement about everything being in common and chose instead to agree to a rule that each person's property was his own and no one had a right to take that property.  They left that meeting believing that better times were ahead.
    As it turned out, things were better than even they had imagined.  The following winter there was plenty of food for all.  There were some lazy chipmunks and rabbits who hadn't prepared adequately so the squirrels and others either gave them some food or had them do some work for it.  It was an arrangement that worked well for everyone except the rats who remained under the domination of the rabbits.  With plenty of food and space, the animals multiplied greatly and the industrious among them grew wealthy and sleek.  The hardships were forgotten and most of the animals were very happy.       

    Many summers and winters went by in the forest and Thomas and the brave animals that endured those first winters and built the new land had long passed into memory and legend.  Things remained much as they had been after those first hard winters were past.  There was plenty of food to go around, many of the squirrels had stored up enough to last several winters, so much so that often they ceased to remember where it had all been hidden.  There were beaver dams in abundance and the ponds they produced added to the richness of the land.
    There were other things that remained the same.  The chipmunks were still carefree, the rabbits were lazy and the rats worked for the rabbits.  In the course of time a young rat whom his mother named Brown came of age and he dared to ask the question "Mother, why must we work for the rabbits?"  His mother had no good answer, simply repeating the same thing that she had been told, it had always been so.  But Brown was among the few who were not satisfied with that answer.  He watched the squirrels and the beavers and the chipmunks noticing they all worked for themselves, becoming wealthy and sleek while the rats never had anything of their own, all the fruits of their labor going to the rabbits.  It did not seem fair to him.
    It did not seem fair to Abe the groundhog either.  While it was true that few of the other animals associated with the rats, many of them thought it was unfair that they were denied the right to participate in the assemblies and had to work for the rabbits.  Abe thought the rabbits should do their own work and the rats should be able to work for themselves.  Soon young Abe and Brown became friends and spent long hours discussing such things.  Some of the other animals thought it improper that any animal should associate so closely with a rat but when they were not working, even the rats were free to do as they pleased.
    One year as summer came to an end, Abe found Brown working to gather food for the rabbits and they began talking.  Abe was rather horrified at his friend's appearance.  Brown's ribs were showing, his coat was dry and flaky, his breathing labored.  Brown explained to him that the rabbits always demanded more work from them as summer ended so they would have enough food for themselves and the rats often didn't have time to forage for themselves.  Abe was appalled at this treatment and they discussed it for a long time, Brown recounting story after story of how they were abused and often killed or worked to death.  Abe became more horrified with each passing moment.  He could not believe that one animal could treat another this way.
    As they were talking, a horrible sound arose from the brush behind them.  They were too startled to move for a moment for it was a sound that Abe had never heard before.  Brown, on the other hand, was terrified, but he did not run for he knew it would be no use.  Suddenly a rabbit, larger than any rabbit Abe had ever seen, broke from the bushes and ran, if you could call his lumbering gait a run, up to them.  The rabbit demanded to know what Brown had been doing for the last hour and then turned on Abe, yelling at him for distracting Brown while he was to be about his work.  Abe was immobilized with a combination of fear and indignation.  He finally found his voice and poured forth all his pent up anger at the way his friend and all the rats had been treated.  The more he talked the angrier the rabbit got until he was positively shaking with rage.  Suddenly he set upon Brown with his powerful hind legs, hurling him against a nearby tree.  Dazed, Brown tried to get up, all the while apologizing for his oersight, but the rabbit was having none of it.  He ambled over to where Brown was curled up on the ground and proceeded to stomp on him until he was dead. 
    Abe was horrified.  He had seen death, certainly, there were still predators about, but never at the hands of one of their own.  He was angry, angry at the rabbit for the terrible deed but also angry at himself for being unable to stop it.  As a young groundhog, he was no match for the larger and faster rabbit.  The rabbit, stepping off of Brown, eyed him warily, snorted and ambled off.  Abe, once certain there was nothing to be done for Brown, raced off to tell the others what had happened.  An assembly was quickly called and the debate was heated.  Abe pointed out that one of the three rules was that no animal could take the life of another.  There was a general murmuring of agreement until the rabbits stood up in their own defense.  It was their assertion that the rats were not animals like them.  They had beady eyes and hairless tails, they were stupid and lazy and the rabbits had actually done them a favor by taking the rats into their community and giving them food and shelter.  Others, recalling vaguely from the legend, said that the rats shouldn't even be here, they were naturally thieves and vagabonds.
    Abe then responded saying that just because rats didn't have hairy tails was no reason to exclude them.  They all had four paws, large sharp teeth, fur and the rats were neither stupid nor lazy.  And the possums didn't have hair on their tails and no one abused them.  He said that it was, in fact, the rabbits who were lazy and that without the help of the rats they would have starved long ago.  This, of course, made the rabbits very angry and they made a great show of stomping and screaming.  The other animals, some reluctantly, had to acknowledge that Abe had made some good points.  The rabbits said that they would not change, that things had always been this way and the rats deserved their treatment.  Abe called for a vote on the issue.  The rabbits threatened to stomp on anyone that tried to free the rats and there were other animals that, while agreeing with Abe, wanted to keep the peace and didn't think the rats were worth it.  When the votes were counted, however, it was decided by the slimmest of majorities that the rats were the same as the other animals, that they should have the right to vote and conduct their affairs in a manner no different than any other animal.  The rabbits stormed off to their warren, refusing to abide by the ruling.
    Abe and the other animals were unsure of what to do now.  Never before had an agreement of the assembly been ignored in such a fashion.  Some said that the rabbits should be left alone and the whole bunch excluded from the assembly.  Others said it was not right to leave the rats to their fate among such cruel creatures.  They all knew that if they tried to free the rats or enforce the ruling, the rabbits were likely to fight, and no one wanted that.  But in the end it was decided that they could not let such a clear violation of the basic rules they had all agreed upon go unanswered and they gathered around the warren to issue their ultimatum.  Unless the rats were freed and the murderers brought to justice, they would have no choice but to force the rabbits to obey. 
    The rabbits refused so Abe and his allies moved in.  The rabbits fought bravely and being larger than most of the other animals, often prevailed.  Everyone had expected the battle to be over quickly but it raged on for many days and a lot of animals died on both sides.  Abe was horrified.  He could not understand why the rabbits would fight so ferociously for the right to keep the rats as their servants.  After the initial assault there were smaller battles around the warren and the conflict dragged on for weeks.  The rabbits were too strong in their warren to be dislodged but their numbers were not sufficient to venture out into the forest.  Abe saw that for now the battle had reached a stalemate but he encouraged his side to prevail.  They were in the right and time would prove them so. 
    The snows of winter were soon upon them and the campaign was suspended as everyone headed for the warmth of his own burrow.  Although the battle had taken up much of the time they should have been storing food, the squirrels had plenty for everyone from all the wealth they had accumulated over the years.  The rabbits were not so fortunate.  Confined to their warren for much of the fall, they had stored little and were soon starving.  They would send out the rats but the rats rarely returned with anything, if they returned at all.  Most of them fled to the nests of the squirrels where they were welcomed and fed.  When spring arrived, Abe gathered his followers and surrounded the warren, demanding their surrender.  The remaining rabbits emerged from their holes, dirty and emaciated, and agreed to let the rats go.  Abe then called on all his friends to accept the rabbits and gather food for a feast.  All the animals gathered together and shared in the bounty of the squirrels, happy that they were all one n the forest again.
    In the midst of the celebration, however, one of the rabbits, a sullen old fellow who had been one of the loudest opponents of freeing the rats, made his way over to Abe and after a feint of civility, thumped him so hard that he was flung awkwardly against a tree, dying instantly.  A gasp of horror went up from the assembly while the rabbit made off into the deep wood.  Many of the squirrels, recovering from their shock, pursued the murderer but the rabbit, having lost his fat over the winter, proved too quick.  The assembly convened and decided that rabbits could not be trusted and the whole warren would be punished.  The rabbits were stripped of their voting rights for the next ten winters and would be forced to resupply the squirrels for the stores depleted the previous winter.  Abe's killer was banished in perpetuity.  The assembly then buried Abe with great solemnity and did their best to return to their normal lives.  A week later the body of Abe's killer washed up on the riverbank and most were happy to close this terrible chapter in the history of the forest.

  The summers and winters marched on and things in the forest settled into a new routine.  The rats were free but didn't know what to do with themselves and often ended up cooperating with the rabbits again anyway.  It was an uneasy alliance because the rabbits held the rats in even more contempt than before and some of the other animals wondered if the great battle had been worth it as nothing had really changed.  Certainly the rats could vote but the rabbits were known to pressure or threaten them to agree to vote with them.  But all in all, the animals were happy, they multiplied greatly and prospered.
    It was during this time that John, a proud descendant of Thomas, began to notice changes in the forest.  The spring rains had been sparse and many of the trees were bare, when they should have been lush and green.  He was not the only one to notice it either.  The beavers complained because their ponds were shrinking and the rabbits found it difficult to burrow in the hard, dry ground.  John and his friends watched throughout the spring and summer as the rains were sparse and more and more of the animals worried about what would happen in the fall and winter.  John talked about it often with his friends but they weren't too worried.  There had been times in the past when the rains hadn't come and they made it through.  They had nuts and food stored all over the forest and when some of the other animals were in need, they did not hesitate to share.  This time would be no different.
      The winter was certainly a hard one.  Many of the animals relied on the generosity of the squirrels and the squirrels were happy to meet their needs.  Certainly there were some squirrels who harbored some resentment because they felt they were being taken advantage of by some of the other animals who hadn't seen fit to prepare, or even slacked off under the assumption that the generosity of others would always be available.  The end result, however, was that everyone's needs were met and they all emerged in the the spring, perhaps a little thinner but healthy none the less.
    As the weeks passed and summer approached, the rains did not come again.  The trees were bare, the ground was hard, the ponds behind the beaver dams fell even more, some of them disappearing altogether.  Now the animals were wondering if they would have enough to eat right now and they knew that there was going to be little to store for the winter.  Some of them were not only worried but scared.  Even John and his friends were becoming a little concerned.  They knew they had stored enough for two more winters if they uncovered all their known stores and found a few forgotten ones.  He was told by his grandfather of a time when the rains didn't come for two years but that had been the worst, and they all made it through.  So while John was still concerned, he was not fearful.
      As the summer came to a close and the rains still hadn't come.  Among the rabbits, rats and even the chipmunks and possums, panic began to set in.  John and his friends tried to reassure them but to no avail.  Word soon went around that there would be an assembly convened to deal with the crisis.  John wondered why they would be discussing their situation in an assembly and why they were calling it a crisis.  A pack of wolves or hawks moving in, that would be a crisis.  Having to dig into their stores to make it through a tough time was not a crisis, just a ....difficulty.
    The meeting was convened and many of the animals expressed their concerns and fears about the upcoming winter.  Then a rabbit named Franklin stood up and said they should vote to divide the stores of the squirrels equally among all the animals.  There was a "Hear! Hear!" among the rabbits and some of the rats and chipmunks.  John couldn't believe his furry ears.  He objected on the grounds that it was against the law to take someone's property from them and there was no question that the food they were referring to belonged to the squirrels.  They had labored to accumulate it, working hard and forgoing other pleasures to plan ahead for themselves and their posterity.  Franklin countered by saying that it was not fair

that they accumulated all that food, it all came from the forest and the forest belonged to all of them.  He also countered that animals like the rats and even the chipmunks were incapable of adequately providing for themselves and required the charity of the squirrels.  And the beavers, what about them?  They were losing their homes through no fault of their own.  And finally what about the old animals?  They needed to be provided for, after all they are too old to provide for themselves.  "Hear! Hear!", the cheers got louder.  What about the law?  Franklin said the law was outdated and wasn't adequate to deal with this situation.  John and his friends were appalled.  They had never begrudged anyone in need and he deemed this new proposal not only unnecessary but dangerous.  The squirrels were frugal and responsible and the idea of turning their wealth over to lazy rabbits and carefree chipmunks was more than they could bear.  But Franklin's appeal swayed most of them and the vote was conclusive.
    Franklin immediately set to work organizing the distribution.  He appointed his fellow rabbits to oversee his new committees to make sure that everyone's needs were met.  There was the committee that looked after the old animals, one that organized the recovery of the hidden food and one to deal with any recalcitrant squirrels.  Of course the rabbits and their helpers did not have time to gather their own food so the other animals were put to work providing for them as well.  John nearly cried as they ransacked his nest and all his hiding places.  He thought of all the work he had done, all the planning to make sure that his family was provided for.  Now it was all in the hands of Franklin and the rabbits and he doubted they would be as good stewards of his stores as he had been.
    The winter came and went and all the animals had plenty to eat throughout it all.  Everyone praised Franklin and the rabbits for saving them from the famine and keeping them safe throughout the winter.  John, however, worried now more than before.  He had a pretty good idea how much food had been stored and with the liberal amount given out over the winter he knew that if the rains did not come in the spring, the next winter would be harder than any they had seen in a long time.
    Fortunately for everyone, the rains came in the spring, the forest turned green again and the beaver ponds filled up.  John breathed a sigh of relief.  It seemd only he and some of the other squirrels understood or even cared about their precarious situation.  As John and his friends went around that spring and began to replenish their empty stores they also noticed something else that was disturbing.  There seemed to be young animals everywhere, particularly among the rabbits.  This, John knew, was unnatural.  During times of scarcity, populations went down, animals died and while that was unfortunate, John knew that this was the way of the world and it worked.  Such growth during a famine had never happened before and he wondered what it would mean.
    As summer began, Franklin called an assembly.  He made a long speech about how they had come through the hard winter and that by sharing among themselves they had actually prospered during a difficult time.  It was obvious that what they needed to do was to share more often, so they could prevent disasters like that in the future.  He proposed that from this time forward every animal be required to contribute one in ten nuts or other unit of supply for the common good so they could all store up food for lean times.  In addition, he said that it was only right that a portion of this food be given to the old animals that were no longer able to provide for themselves.  There was much agreement among the animals and even John was persuaded for a moment until he thought about it.  One of his friends stood up and said that each animal should provide for his own needs and set aside his own food for hard times.  They should also take care of their own families, that was the way it had always been done, it was what preserved the natural order of things.  Most of the squirrels cheered until Franklin got up and scolded them.  He said they were being stingy and mean not wanting to provide for the older animals.  Besides, it wasn't as if one group was being forced to provide for another.  All the animals would provide food for these needs and if they all worked together there would be more for everyone.  It was hard to argue against Franklin and his idea carried the day.  From now on everyone would contribute part of what they gathered to a community store.
    Part of the plan required the construction of some place to store the food.  In the past, the squirrels had always been the most inventive and efficient in storing food but Franklin, hinting at their stinginess, decided that finding new methods of storage would be best.  They employed the beavers to construct storage huts much like their own and engaged the chipmunks to pack the food properly.  John had his doubts about such a system but he kept it to himself.  He and his friends had much work to do.  They not only had to provide for themselves now, but had to meet their contribution to the community.
    As summer turned into fall and the animals were busy preparing for the winter, one of the chipmunks came to John and said he was worried about not having enough to eat over the winter.  John said he should not be worried, that the community stores should contain plenty for all the animals.  The chipmunk then informed him that the huts the beavers had constructed were nearly bare.  Much of the food had grown worms or mold and had to be thrown out and the remainder had gone to pay the beavers for the huts, the chipmunks for storage and rabbits for their administration.  John was outraged.  He knew that he alone had contributed enough to support five families through the winter, there should be plenty of food!  Franklin was a fool from the start and was going to make a real mess of things if this was allowed to continue.  John called an assembly and confronted Franklin.  He demanded to know what had happened to all the food they had brought in.  Franklin said there was plenty of food for the winter.  He admtted that there had been some problems with storage but they would be worked out in time.  This was a new way of doing things, he said, and it would take some time to get it right.  John said the old way was the right one and they should never have embarked on this experiment in the first place, it was bound to lead to no good.  Franklin, who had gotten noticeably fatter over the last two seasons, rose up on his haunches and addressed the assembly.  He told them that he knew what they were doing was right.  He reminded them of the lean times they had just come through, how many of them had been hungry, near starving, in fact.  No one should ever have to be hungry again, no old animal should ever have to worry about going out to gather food when they know they are too weak to evade a predator or brave the weather.  How an animal like John could stand before all of them and deny giving to those in desperate circumstances, he could not understand.  How an animal like John could stand up before the group and puthis own selfishness before the needs of the community, was beyond his comprehension.  The  animals stared angrily at John and the other squirrels, booing them and repeating Franklin's words.  Part of John felt ashamed at Franklin's words but he was also angry.  It was he and the squirrels whose generosity had kept many alive during the lean times and now this?!  He could think of nothing to say for it wasn't in his nature to boast about the good he had done.  Franklin, sensing victory, said that the collections would continue, needs would be met and the forest would prosper as never before!  The animals cheered and raised Franklin up on their shoulders and paraded him through the woods.                   

    Martin was hungry.  Martin was always hungry.  As a rat he worked for the rabbits, as did most of the rats, and the rabbits gave him just enough to keep him alive and little more.  It seemed to Martin that all the other animals lived as they pleased and prospered but few of the rats ever experienced the bounty of the forest.  The rabbits kept them separate and even though the great battle had made them free, they seemed to have lost the ability to fend for themselves as the other animals did and the rabbits worked hard to keep them helpless and dependent.  They even intimidated the rats into voting with them in the assemblies or managed to keep them from being around to vote at all.  It seemed to Martin that little had changed since the time of the revered Abe.  They still worked hard for the rabbits who looked down on them as inferior, the rabbits were lazy and enjoyed the fruits of their labor and the rats were skinny, poor and powerless.  Martin thought it shouldn't be so.
    Martin got out among the other animals of the forest more than most of the rats and he knew that many of the other animals were unhappy with the situation between the rabbits and the rats.  Looking at it objectively, it certainly didn't seem fair.  Even among the rabbits there were those who did not employ the rats and thought that the way some of their fellows treated them was unworthy of rabbits or any other animal in the forest.  It seemed to Martin that all the rats needed was someone to lead them out of their bondage to freedom, to put them in a position no different than the other animals in the forest.
    Martin started small.  He would talk to his fellow rats, and when outside the warren, to the other animals.  It wasn't easy.  His fellow rats didn't think anything could be done, things had always been this way and if they were free, what would they do?  The other animals, while sympathetic, rarely seemed to want to get involved.  But Martin persisted.  He felt he must because what he was doing was right and if it was, then it must prevail.  So he kept talking and believing and soon his persistence began to pay off.  The rats began to organize and they held demonstrations around the warren demanding better food for their work or the freedom to go and make their own way in the world.  The rabbits, of course, did not take this lying down.  They shouted down the demonstrators, withheld food and some of the more radical among them thumped on the rats when the opportunity presented itself.  Some of the other animals joined in to help the rats and it looked like Martin and his vision would prevail.
      Conner, a fat old rabbit who had lived off the labor of the rats too long to see this upstart overturn his gravy train, decided to do something about it.  It was time to stop these ridiculous ideas of Martin's in their tracks.  What would they do with their freedom anyway?  Rats were stupid and dependent and if it wasn't for the rabbits they would have all starved to death a long time ago.  For the good of rabbits and rats and the natural order of the forest, Conner would act.  He gathered some of his like minded friends about him and headed off to the rally Martin was having.  Listening to Martin only served to inflame their passions all the more.  When the rally broke up and most of the listeners had gone home, the rabbits jumped Martin and thumped him to death.
  When the deed became known there was a great uproar in the forest.  Not since Brown was murdered had so blatant a crime been committed in the forest.  Even many of the rabbits, while sympathetic to Conner's thinking, were horrified by the act.  They delivered Conner up to the assembly.  There was much discussion as to what should be done.  Some of the rats and other animals wanted to drown him in the river immediately.  Others did not want to violate the basic commandment against killing even in the face of such a horrendous crime.  Finally, a rabbit named Johnson stood up and addressed the crowd.  He said he was greatly troubled by what had happened and the attitudes of some of his fellow rabbits.  He thought that Conner should be banished from the forest and those who sympathized with him should be stripped of their voting rights.  This seemed good to most of them although the rats thought Conner and his compatriots had gotten off easy.  But when the vote was taken, that was the decision that was agreed to.
    Johnson was not finished, however.  He said that in memory of Martin, the rats should be given a ration from the common store.  He said that the rats had been oppressed too long and would not be able to make it on their own so the community should give them a helping hand.  In fact, all those who were struggling in the forest should be given an allowance until they were able to stand on their own.  In order to do this it would be necessary to increase everyone's contribution to the community stores.  He thought that half would be generous enough.  Such a proposal was a shock to many and Johnson knew that it would be tough to pass right away.  The squirrels, who knew such a burden would fall mostly on them, were outraged.  The beavers and the possums agreed.  The chipmunks really had no opinion as usual.  The rats were not sure this was a good idea.  After all, it was their dependence on the rabbits that had kept them down for so long, why would this be any different?
    Johnson got right to work.  He needed to do little convincing of the rabbits.  They had been pilfering from the community store for years and saw this as a way to increase the amount at their disposal.  They also knew that if they could make the rats and some of the other animals dependant on their distribution, they would always be grateful and vote them more stores over time.  The rabbits then went among the rats and the chipmunks as well as the other poor animals to convince them to back their plan.  They promised to make the poor animals rich by giving them some of the greedy squirrel's food.  The chipmunks were convinced by an appeal to fairness.  They were told that it was only right that those who were able to produce more should contribute more to the community so the less fortunate would have enough.  The rats were reminded that is was the evil squirrels who did not want to contribute anything to the community stores even for the sick and old or in times of emergency.  They even convinced some of the beavers to go along because they would be employed in building new storage huts.
  Johnson and the rabbits were very successful for the most part.  When he was comfortable that he had the support he needed, he called an assembly together.  He began addressing the animals by recounting the heroism of Martin and by apologizing for his fellow rabbits who had been prejudiced against the rats for so long.  By adopting this policy, the community would be rectifying an injustice that went all the way back to the time of the animal's arrival in this wonderful new land.  It would also be in the interest of fairness and equality to meet the needs of the other unfortunates among them for the forest had produced a great bounty for many and it was only right to share it with the few who had been left out of the prosperity.  The squirrels protested, of course, but it was hard not to sound harsh and unfeeling in the light of such logic and doing so only played into the hands of Johnson and his supporters.  In the end the proposal to take half of what everyone gathered to be distributed among the rats and other needy animals was passed.
    The squirrels now had to work harder than ever to supply their own needs for the winter.  Giving one in ten hadn't been too great a burden but one in two was another matter entirely.  Some of the squirrels tried to hide a portion of their stores but when such a thing became known they were brought before the assembly, ridiculed and berated and had all their stores confiscated.  Over the next several seasons there was a population explosion among the animals, particularly in the warren.  Rabbits were everywhere and they were all fat and lazy.  They had hired a lot of the other animals to do their basic work, clean their warrens and provide anything else they needed, ostensibly so they would have plenty of time to do all the necesary administrative tasks that kept the forest running.  The most important of these tasks was the distribution of food from the store huts and the other animals soon came to understand that is was good to be on the side of the rabbits if they wanted their handout.  It also appeared that every year there were more and more animals that received sustinence from the community stores which never really stored anything.  The beavers kept building new huts but rarely were any of them filled.  It seemed that as soon as food came in it was distributed and at the end of every winter the huts were bare.  But all in all, the animals were happy, everyone had plenty, and life was good in the forest.

  It was bound to happen again sooner or later.  The rains failed to come and the forest did not yield its bounty.  When worry started to spread among the animals the rabbits were quick to offer words of assurance.  There was plenty of food for all, the rains would come soon enough and the community stores had been developed for just such a crisis.  However, things were much different than the last time the forest was dry.  There were so many more animals in the forest, much more than it was normally meant to support.  The food they had taken from the squirrels had sustained numbers of rabbits, rats and chipmunks far above what would be normal in a forest their size.  It had already become difficult for some animals to meet their needs during the summer months without the community supply and many relied on it during the winter.  Some, in fact, ceased working for themselves altogether and depended solely on the rabbit's distribution.  This had become such a problem that over the years that the contribution had risen from one in two to seven in ten.  The squirrels worked harder than ever just to meet their own needs and that of their familles.  They saw what was happening and knew that if the rains didn't come at some point there would be a disaster.  So they prepared as best they could and saved as much of their allowance as possible.
    Contrary to the assurances of the rabbits, the rains did not come that spring or summer.  The rabbits, of course, knew even better than the squirrels what would happen if the rains did not come.  With less being produced by the forest, there was less left over to store for the winter and if something was not done, everyone would starve before spring.  The rabbits then met among themselves to decide what to do.  If some new source of food was not found and the store huts were found to be empty, they would be blamed.  Even worse, they would starve along with the rest because they had been living off the community stores since the time of Franklin.  It was not just their way of life and their power that was at stake, but their very existence.
    It was at this crucial time that a young rabbit named Barry and his wife Nancy stood up among the rabbits and said they had a plan.  He spoke eloquently about the future of the forest and the need to do new and different things to make sure that their home remained prosperous and just.  The rabbits all cheered and proclaimed him the Savior of the Forest and called the assembly together.  Although all the animals had been hurrying to collect as much food as they could before the first snows came, often fighting over the smallest scraps, they paused in their work to hear the word of hope the rabbits brought them.  Barry stood up to address the assembly.  These were trying times, he said, and it was only by working together that they could all get through it.  There were those who were still acting selfishly in the face of  this crisis and such actions and attitudes put all the animals in the forest in danger.  It was his belief that everyone should have an equal share in the promise of the forest.  To enure that everyone had their needs and wants met, it was necessary to do things differently.  The system by which they had been receiving contributions was no longer sufficient to meet the needs of the community.  From now on each animal would only be allowed to keep a certain amount of what he collected, the remainder would be put into the community store to be distributed among those who weren't able to accumulate that amount.  He then revealed a bin the beavers had constructed to determine what each animal was allowed to keep.  The squirrels were horrified.  The amount would barely be enough to take them through the winter with nothing left over if the rains didn't come the following year.  They protested loudly but Barry just shook his head and smiled.  It was necessary in these extraordinary circumstances and besides, to refuse to share with the community was wrong.  What did they need all that extra food for anyway?  Then he called for a vote and the measure passed overwhelmingly.
  The rabbits immediately set the rats and chipmunks to work taking all the stores they could find from the squirrels.  Often they would berate the squirrels as they went about their legal thievery, as the squirrels referred to it.  But there was nothing to be done.  They had lost the vote and there were too many animals in the opposition to mount an effective resistance.  The store huts were soon full of all the squirrels excess and everyone settled in for the winter.  It was harsh and long and by the time spring arrived everyone was hungry but alive.  The rabbits and rats, in fact, seemed to have prospered and multiplied even more.
    That spring, however, did not see the return of the rains.  It looked as if there was going to be another lean year.  But no one was worried.  Barry had fixed things so that they would never go hungry again now that they had a whole year to prepare.  Among the squirrels, however, things were very different.  They no longer worked from dawn till dusk, risking predators and weather in their quest to accumulate food for the future.  Only allowed to retain a small amount of what they had collected in the past, they only worried about collecting that much.  This became readily apparent to the rabbits who saw little accumulation in the huts by the beginning of the summer.  If they did not do something soon, there was going to be a real problem.  They called the assembly together again and presented their new plan.  Barry attacked the lazy, selfish squirrels and berated them for not working harder for the good of the community.  He accused them of hiding food from the community and vowed to punish anyone who egaged in such despicable activity.
    At that point one of the possums stood up among the group.  Possums rarely participated in the assembles and mostly kept to themselves, spending most of their time asleep during the day and only foraging at night.  But it is such extraordinary times that develop passions in the most unlikely of places.  The possum squared off directly across from Barry, pinched his nose, narrowed his eyes and pointed an accusing paw right at him.  He told Barry and the whole assembly that the rabbits had been traitors to the principles of the forest from the beginning, had been living off the hard work of the others and were lazy, nasty creatures.  It was the rabbits and their stealing that had brought the whole forest to the brink of ruin.  Barry was shocked.  Nancy was enraged.  She screamed treason and grabbed several of the other rabbits and set upon the possum, biting and thumping him to death before the entire assembly.  Everyone was stunned.  Nancy then led the rabbits among the squirrels and beat them severely, acusing them of hiding food and demanding to know where it was. The assembly broke up and the rats and rabbits raided the homes of the squirrels, looking for hidden food, sometimes taking even food that belonged to them.  One of the homes had a large quantity hidden in a hollow area of the tree and when the rabbits found it they killed the squirrel and hung his body from a branch above the assembly place as a warning.
    The rains didn't come that summer and as fall approached the rabbits began abusing all the animals, forcing them to work to gather what little food there was.  Many of them were already hungry, although the rabbits never seemed to get any leaner.  Occasionally the rabbits would thump another animals to death for not working hard enough as an example to the others.  Even so, there was simply not enough food for all the animals that year and the winter was harder on them than any since their arrival in the new forest.  For the first time many of the squirrels died from starvation, their food having been confiscated for the rabbits and their supporters.  When spring finally arrived, half the squirrels were gone, and many chipmunks, rats, possums, groundhogs and even beavers had died.  The rabbits, on the other hand, had actually multiplied.  Fortunately for the remainder, the rains came that spring and the animals began to gather food once again.
    Early in the summer, Barry called an assembly.  There was much grumbling among the other animals, for they had all suffered and knew that the rabbits had not suffered with them.  Many were suggesting that perhaps the possum had been right.  Barry quieted them down and began his address.  He said that the possum had been an enemy of the forest and had spread lies among them.  Their hardship was due not to the rabbits but the squirrels who had ceased to do their part for the community.  The rabbits, because of their wisdom and the success demonstrated by their prosperity, were the only ones who could prevent such a calamity from happening again.  Because of this, there was no need to continue to have assemblies, the rabbits would just meet among themselves and, in their wisdom, choose the best course for them all so they could all be as prosperous they were.  Because of the lazy, selfish squirrels, however, they would all have to work harder to meet the needs of the community and keep the community storesfull.  Anyone who refused to pull their weight would be punished severely.  Such measures were necessary to keep the calamity of the previous winter from happening again.  And with that he ended his discourse and changed the forest forever.

    Thomas looked out over the river from the highest tree he knew.  He sighed and tried to ignore the knot in his stomach, the hunger that had been his constant companion all his life.  For Thomas, life was hard.  Under the rabbits, all the animals in the forest worked from dawn until dusk gathering food to fill the huts that the beavers seemed to constantly be building.  The rabbits supervised the work and it seemed they were especially hard on the squirrels, he did not know why.  But all the animals suffered, except the rabbits who multiplied greatly as the years marched on.  Thomas knew he couldn't sit here long.  If he did not fill his daily quota he would not receive his ration but as he gazed out over the water he wondered if the land on the other side of the river were better.  He imagined a place where a squirrel could be free to live his own life as he pleased, a place of plenty, a place where liberty reigned.........