Benny was
a tiny, teeny bunny, who was only a few weeks old but already he had heard
of the Easter Bunny and his important job delivering Easter eggs. Benny
was sitting in the tall grass of a field that was his
home. He hopped a few steps further, trying to
munch some grass. All the while he was thinking, why
couldn't he help the Easter Bunny as some of the other rabbits did? After
all, he was a bunny too! He stretched and
scurried through the weeds, jumping over
a stick, and stopping quickly by a tree. Benny was trying
to prove to himself how able he was for the job. He walked
around a tree and sat frozen, wiggling his nose
and turning his ears. He
smelled and heard a fox approaching. If he stayed frozen the fox might not
find him, as his fur matched the color of the tall grass. The fox came
closer and closer. Benny shook with fear. He
turned to the left, then the right and scampered
as fast as he could, jumped over a fallen
branch, leaped across a nest of pheasant eggs,
crawled under a stick and squatted in
some bushes. The fox had long given up the chase but Benny sat,
breathing deeply and still shivered. The little
rabbit walked to his mother and sat by
his own nest.
There the Easter Bunny was passing out eggs the other
bunnies would help deliver. Benny wanted to help but the Easter Bunny told
him he was too young. Next year he would be an adult and could help. The
tiny bunny crawled into his soft nest in the tall grass and
curled up in a ball to sleep. Next morning he woke very early,
before all the other rabbits. He stretched out his front paws, then
his back paws, and washed his ears by licking his paw and
rubbing it over his ears. He had an itch on his back so he
rolled in the grass several times to scratch. Benny sat down
to think. His cottontail wiggled. He was hungry so he hopped
on one foot, then on the other, then on both, to the other end of the
field to try the grass. He found some tender pieces, pulled them up
and ate them. He chewed slowly and wiggled his nose. As he
moved through the grass, he noticed twelve speckled eggs laying on
the weeds. Benny turned his head in every direction, looking for
the owners of these eggs. No one was around! Someone forgot to deliver
these eggs. Here was Benny's chance to help the Easter
bunny.
Bending down to pick up the eggs, he carefully
piled them in his arms. Slowly he walked, stepping
over rocks and sticks. He left four eggs at Mr. Woodchuck's burrow and
skipped on to Mrs. Muskrat's den, where he left four more eggs.
Scampering, he tripped over a stone. Luckily the eggs rolled
to the ground. Benny got up slowly, rubbing his sore knees
and toes. Bending down, he picked up the remaining eggs for
Mrs. Raccoon. He was so happy! Benny raced back home to tell the Easter
Bunny of his deed. When he returned home, he sat to rest. There was
great excitement, for Mrs. Quail was screaming and crying. Someone had
stolen her twelve speckled eggs from their nest by the tall grasses where
Benny had breakfast.
The little bunny realized he had made a
mistake. He had picked up Mrs. Quail's eggs from her nest where she
was trying to hatch them. He thought they were Easter eggs. Benny had to
save those eggs! He raced to Mrs. Raccoon's and found the four eggs
untouched, since no one was awake yet. Carefully carrying the eggs, he ran
to Mrs. Muskrat's den and picked up the other four. Benny was
worried that he would be too late! He scampered to the Woodchuck
burrow to find only two eggs laying by the opening. Benny was frantic! He
dug and crawled down the tunnel of the burrow. There lay the
last two eggs. They must have rolled down the hole. He picked up
the eggs and skipped back to the Quail nest; he bent down
and put all twelve back in their place.
Hurrying, he
hopped back to his home to announce to Mrs. Quail that her eggs
were safe in their nest again. Benny sat, resting and
breathing deeply. He told the Easter Bunny about his mistake. The
little bunny was scolded for not asking about the eggs, but at least Mrs.
Quail's eggs were safe. The Easter Bunny reminded Benny he would be able
to help next year. That made Benny
Happy! |
