The Velveteen Rabbit & Other Stories - Margery Williams [13]
“Stop!” cried the city mouse. “That’s a trap!”
The little country mouse stopped in his tracks. “What’s a trap?”
“That thing,” said the little city mouse, “is a trap. The minute you touch the cheese, something comes down on your head hard, and—” The city mouse made a loud clap with his little hands.
The little country mouse looked at the trap. Then he looked at his cousin. “I think I will go home,” he said. “I’d rather have barley and grain and eat it in peace, than have brown sugar and cheese and eat in fear.”
The two mice shook hands. The country mouse happily went back to his home. And there he stayed for the rest of his life.
Chicken Little
Once upon a time, Chicken Little was scratching in her garden when an acorn fell out of a tree and hit her on the head.
“Oh, dear me!” she cried. “The sky is falling. I must go and tell the king!”
So she ran and ran until she met Henny Penny.
“Good morning, Chicken Little,” said Henny Penny. “Where are you going?”
“Oh, Henny Penny, the sky is falling, and I am going to tell the king!”
“How do you know the sky is falling?” asked Henny Penny.
“A piece of it fell on my head!” said Chicken Little.
“Then I will go with you,” said Henny Penny.
So they ran and ran until they met Turkey Lurkey.
“Good morning, Henny Penny and Chicken Little,” said Turkey Lurkey. “Where are the two of you going?”
“Oh, Turkey Lurkey, the sky is falling, and we are going to tell the king!” they said.
“How do you know the sky is falling?” asked Turkey Lurkey.
“Chicken Little told me,” said Henny Penny.
“A piece of it fell on my head!” said Chicken Little.
“Then I will go with you,” said Turkey Lurkey.
So they ran and ran until they met Ducky Lucky.
“Where are the three of you going?” he asked.
“The sky is falling, and we are going to tell the king,” answered Turkey Lurkey.
“How do you know the sky is falling?” asked Ducky Lucky.
“Henny Penny told me,” said Turkey Lurkey.
“Chicken Little told me,” said Henny Penny.
“A piece of it fell on my head!” said Chicken Little.
“Then I will go with you,” said Ducky Lucky.
So they ran and ran until they met Goosey Loosey, on her way to the bakery.
“Where are the four of you going?” she asked.
“The sky is falling, and we are going to tell the king,” answered Ducky Lucky.
“How do you know it is falling?” asked Goosey Loosey.
“Turkey Lurkey told me,” answered Ducky Lucky.
“Henny Penny told me,” said Turkey Lurkey.
“Chicken Little told me,” said Henny Penny.
“A piece of it fell on my head!” said Chicken Little.
“Then I will go with you,” said Goosey Loosey.
So they ran and ran until they met Foxy Loxy.
“My, my. Look at all these plump birds,” he said, licking his lips. “Where is everyone going?”
“The sky is falling, and we are going to tell the king,” they all replied together.
“But you are not going the right way,” said Foxy Loxy, squinting his wicked eyes. “Shall I show you the way to go?”
“Oh, certainly,” they all answered at once and followed Foxy Loxy, until they came to the door of his cave among the rocks.
“This is a short way to the king’s palace,” said Foxy Loxy.
Just as the little feathered folks were about to follow the fox into his cave, a little gray squirrel jumped out from behind the bushes and whispered to them, “If you go in, that fox will eat all of you!”
The little squirrel threw a big stone and hit the old fox right on the head.
“The sky surely is falling,” groaned Foxy Loxy, as he fell to the ground. Happy to escape from the wicked fox, the feathered friends thanked the squirrel and continued their journey to see the king.
By and by, they came to the palace where the wise king lived. Upon entering they all shouted at once, “King, we have come to warn