Today we are going to tell a story about how some little rabbits were rescued. This story features a fox, a badger, and several cute little rabbits. Although it sounds like an adventure game, it actually teaches us an important lesson: we must learn to protect ourselves, especially when adults are not around.
Let the story begin!
In a quiet little forest lived a fox named Todd. He wasn’t the gentlest of animals—he smelled a bit funny and loved to wander around. Sometimes he’d rest for the day in the rabbits’ nearby wood shed, and other times he’d go to the lake to scare away wild ducks and water rats.
However, even when Todd wasn’t home, his house wasn’t empty. A badger named Tommy would often come in without knocking and stay there. This badger was friends with the rabbits’ grandfather, Old Benjamin, and neither of them liked Todd very much.
One day, Old Benjamin was sitting alone at the front door, sunbathing and smoking his pipe. His son, Little Benjamin, and his daughter-in-law, Phyllis, were about to go out on an errand. Before leaving, they specially reminded their father, “Please watch over the grandchildren and make sure they don’t wander off.”
A while later, Tommy arrived with his tools. He looked quite friendly and greeted Old Benjamin. Old Benjamin invited him inside for a snack and handed him a “cigar” made from a rolled-up leaf.
The smoke was so strong that Old Benjamin couldn’t open his eyes and fell asleep in no time.
When Little Benjamin and Phyllis returned home, they found that the little rabbits were gone! Old Benjamin then remembered that Tommy had come earlier. Little Benjamin immediately realized something was wrong and rushed out.
Where did Tommy go?
Little Benjamin followed Tommy’s footprints and came to the woodshed near Todd’s house. There was a strange smell, and he could see smoke coming out of the chimney, which meant that Todd might be at home.
Little Benjamin climbed over the fence and ran into his cousin Peter. Peter was a member of the rabbit family and was very smart and brave.
Little Benjamin asked Peter if he had seen Tommy. Peter said, “I just saw him carrying a big bag and setting a mousetrap over there.”
Hearing this, Little Benjamin was very worried. Peter comforted him, saying, “Don’t worry, let’s think of a plan first.” Then they guessed that Tommy might have gone to Todd’s other house, which was on the mountain.
So they decided to go up the mountain to look for him.
New clues on the way
Halfway up the mountain, they met Peter’s sister, Cottontail. She told them, “Tommy just passed by my house, smiling and pointing at the bag on his back, as if he had done something bad.”
After hearing this, Little Benjamin became even more worried and pulled Peter to continue climbing.
Finally, they arrived at Todd’s other house on the mountain. They heard snoring coming from inside the house. It seemed that someone was sleeping inside.
They quietly walked to the window and saw Tommy lying on the bed, sleeping soundly in his boots.
They wanted to climb through the kitchen window to rescue him, but they couldn’t pry the window open.
Just then, moonlight shone in, and they noticed an iron door in the corner of the kitchen that was shaking. It turned out that the little rabbits were locked in a small room next to the stove!
As they were trying to figure out what to do, they heard the cry of a fox in the distance—it was Todd coming back!
Why did Todd come back?
It turned out that Todd was in a bad mood because he had accidentally broken the plate his grandmother had left him. He was so angry that he wanted to move to a different place. On his way, he saw badger pig footprints on the ground, which made him even angrier.
When he returned to his small mountain hut, he found Tommy lying on his bed asleep, which made him furious.
Todd decided to teach Tommy a lesson. He found a clothesline, tied a hook to one end, threw the other end out the bedroom window, and tied it to a tree.
At that moment, Tommy opened his eyes, gave a sly smile, then closed them again and pretended to be asleep.
Todd carried a bucket of water into the room, stood on a chair, hung the bucket on the hook, and prepared to give Tommy a cold shower.
But just as Todd stepped out the door, Tommy secretly stuffed Todd’s pajamas into the bed and pretended to still be asleep.
The rope outside had been pulled tight by the bucket, and Todd had to bite it with all his strength to break it.
There was the sound of the bucket hitting the floor and water splashing, but there was no scream from Tommy, which made Todd feel a little strange.
He pushed open the door and saw Tommy smiling as he poured a cup of hot tea at him!
The two immediately started wrestling, knocking over the kettle, and scalding hot water poured onto Todd’s tail, causing him to scream in pain.
They rolled down the stairs while fighting, finally crashing into a rock and continuing to yell at each other.
The rabbits were saved!
Taking advantage of the chaos, Peter and Little Benjamin rushed into the kitchen, opened the iron door, and carried the little rabbits out one by one.
Carrying the bags filled with rabbits, they ran home, panting with exhaustion.
Finally, all the rabbits were safely back home. Old Benjamin knew he had made a mistake and was forgiven by his family. He also received a gift—a new pipe and some fragrant tobacco.
In the end, Peter and Little Benjamin told their family the whole story of the rescue.
What does this story teach us?
Tommy the badger pig in this story was really unfriendly. Not only did he steal the little rabbits, he also took over someone else’s house. This kind of behavior is very wrong.
Dear children, you will meet all kinds of people in your life.Some strangers are like Tommy and may approach you when your parents are not at home and try to trick you into going with them.
Therefore, we must remember the following points:
- Do not trust strangers easily. If someone you do not know talks to you or asks you to go with them, be sure to ask your parents first.
- Do not go out alone. If you are home alone, it is best not to open the door or leave the house.
- Learn to ask for help. If you feel unsafe, call your parents or ask a neighbor for help.
- Remember important information. For example, your home address, phone number, and your parents’ names and phone numbers are all very important.
We hope every child can be as smart and brave as Peter and Benjamin in the story, while always staying safe!
