Once upon a time, under a tall fir tree, there was a cozy burrow where Mother Rabbit and her four children lived: Merlot, Filot, Pincushion and the mischievous Peter.
Mother’s warning
One morning, Mama Rabbit was going to the bakery to buy food. Before leaving, she told her children, “You can go play in the fields or take a walk along the road, but don’t go near Mr. Magulig’s vegetable garden! That’s where your father got into trouble; Mrs. Magulig made him into a pie.”
After saying this, Mama Rabbit took her little basket, grabbed her umbrella, and walked through the woods to the bakery.
Melosie, Filosie and Cotton-tail were good children and obediently ran off to pick blackberries. But Peter was not so honest. He didn’t want to pick any blackberries, all he could think about were the delicious vegetables in the vegetable garden. As soon as his mother had disappeared, Peter ran straight to Mr. McGlue’s vegetable garden.
Peter’s adventure in the vegetable garden
Peter found the hole under the fence and quickly slipped through. He was overjoyed to see the green vegetables! He ate some young lettuce, a few string beans and finally pulled out some carrots and ate them with gusto. Feeling a bit full, Peter wanted to find some celery to help settle his stomach.
He walked past the cucumber frame and came face to face with Mr. McGurk!
Mr. McGurk was crouched on the ground planting cabbages and was taken aback when he saw Peter. Then he stood up abruptly, brandishing his rake and shouting, “You thief, stop!”
Peter was so scared that he started running, hiding and trying to escape. But he ran so fast that he lost one shoe in the cabbage patch and then the other in the potato field. Peter, without his shoes, was even more unsteady on his feet and rushed, in a panic, into a thicket. His blue jacket got caught on a branch and he couldn’t get it off, no matter how hard he tried.
A narrow escape
Peter was so desperate that tears were streaming down his face. A few kind little sparrows heard the crying and flew over to encourage him with their chatter: “Don’t be afraid, come on! You can definitely escape!”
At that moment, Mr. McGlurgh came charging towards Peter with a large sieve, trying to cover him up. In a panic, Peter did his best to break free from his jacket and finally escaped.
Peter ran as fast as he could, and finally jumped into the tool shed and hid in a large watering can. Unfortunately, the watering can was full of water, and Peter got soaked, shivering with cold.
Mr. McGlue entered the tool shed, guessing that Peter might be hiding there. He searched carefully, lifting one flowerpot after another. Suddenly, Peter couldn’t help but sneeze loudly: “Achoo!”
This sound revealed his hiding place. Mr. McGlue immediately found him and rushed to step on him, but Peter was quick and nimble and made a leap, escaping through the window and knocking over three flower pots.
Can’t find his way home
Peter finally made it out of the tool shed, but he was exhausted, his body was wet and he was shivering from the cold. He started walking slowly, trying to find his way home. He saw a small door, but it was locked and he couldn’t open it.
Peter cried with frustration. He saw a female mouse busily carrying food and quickly asked her, “Excuse me, do you know how to get out of here?”
The female mouse, with a pea in her mouth, just shook her head and could not answer.
Peter ran to the pond again and saw a white cat staring at the goldfish in the water, its tail swaying gently and its eyes focused. Peter did not dare to approach. His cousin Benjamin had once told him that cats were dangerous and must not be provoked.
Finally escaping the vegetable garden
Peter took a long detour, and finally found the vegetable garden’s fence gate. However, Mr. Maguliku was nearby hoeing weeds, blocking the way.
Peter hid in the bushes, not daring to move. After waiting for a while, he finally gathered his courage and climbed onto a wheelbarrow, peeking around to take a look. When he saw his chance, he gave it his best shot and rushed towards the fence gate.
Mr. McGlue heard the commotion and immediately gave chase, but Peter was faster than him and “whoosh” he was through the fence.
Peter finally escaped from the vegetable garden, and without daring to look back, he sprinted all the way home.
Mum’s question
When Peter arrived home panting, his mum was preparing dinner. She looked at Peter and asked curiously, “Where are your clothes and shoes?”
Peter hung his head and said nothing. He was too tired and scared to do anything but climb straight into bed and lie down.
That night, Peter fell ill. Mother Rabbit lovingly brewed a pot of chamomile tea and whispered to him, “Drink some of this and you’ll feel better after a good night’s sleep.”
Meanwhile, his brothers and sisters were happily enjoying their dinner. They were eating delicious bread, drinking warm milk and dipping it in sweet blackberry jam.
The moral of the story
Peter disobeyed his mother and went into the vegetable garden, not only losing his clothes and shoes, but also getting so scared that he fell ill and missed a delicious dinner.
This story teaches us that it is very important to listen to the advice of our elders. Children, your mother’s advice is not just idle talk!
