Bunny grows up

 Bunny was a good little rabbit. He always obeyed his parents and his teachers. He used to study well in school. The only thing was that he was sometimes very lazy. He did not like to go out and play. He liked to stay in the house all the time. He wasn’t bored inside, as he loved books, and spent most of his time reading. His friends sometimes teased him, calling him a bookworm, but he didn’t mind that. His mother, though she appreciated and encouraged his reading habit, was worried that he wouldn’t grow up to be a healthy rabbit if he stayed inside all the time.

It was the summer vacation, and the day was nice and sunny… the perfect kind of day to spend with ones friends. Croaky Frog and Quacky duck came to Bunny’s house. “Bunny, it’s a wonderful day…come out and play with us” they said. Bunny’s mother was happy. “Bunny, your friends have come to call you. Go out and play with them” she said. Bunny wasn’t in the mood. He was reading a book, and he didn’t want to leave it and go out. “No mamma, I don’t want to go, I want to read. Let them go and play” he said rudely. Neither Bunny’s mother, nor his friends liked that. They tried to explain to Bunny that he shouldn’t talk like that to his friends, but he wouldn’t listen. Finally, Croaky and Quacky went away sadly. Mamma Bunny was angry and scolded Bunny for being rude to his friends. Bunny didn’t bother. He just wanted to read. So he went into the garden, lay down comfortably on the hammock and began to read.
Meanwhile, Croaky and Quacky were on their way to the lake. They were hurt and angry at Bunny’s behavior. Just then, they saw Bunny come into the garden and lie down on the hammock. “How can he be so calm and cool after behaving so badly with us!” they thought. Croaky was already very angry. Just then, he noticed a pin lying on the ground. All at once he picked it up and decided to stick it into bunny. “That will teach him a lesson!” he thought. Just as he was creeping up to Bunny, Bunny’s mamma came out to hang some clothes and saw him. At once she understood the whole situation. She called out loudly “Croaky!” Both, Croaky and Bunny heard her and looked around. Mamma went straight to Bunny and told him “Croaky was just about to stick a sharp pin into you. Do you know why? He was angry with you, because you were rude” she said. Bunny was about to protest, but then she saw the expression on Croaky’s face, and also his mother, and kept quiet. Then Mamma explained to him that he should never be rude to anyone, even his own friends, or they wouldn’t be friends with him any longer. She also told him that it was fine to read books, as long as it did not stop him doing other things. Playing, going out in the open air, and exercising were necessary for good health. He could read when he was stuck inside the house on rainy days, or when he was alone.
Bunny finally understood what his mother was trying to say. He had hurt his best friends by refusing to spend time with them. “Sorry Croaky” he said. “I shall never be rude to you again. I shall come out with all of you and play whatever you want to play”. Croaky was also very happy. He said. “Great! We can go swimming in the lake and then you can tell us the story that you were reading. Come on!” And then, they all had a wonderful time. Mamma was very happy. Her Bunny had grown up.