by
Darnell Marie Cox
One bright autumn morning Robert the Rabbit awoke early to the smell of fresh baked blueberry pie.
"All right!" exclaimed Robert. "My favorite!" He sprung from his bed and ran to the kitchen. "When can I eat some?" he asked his mother who was taking the last pie from the oven and putting it on the window sill.
"You must be patient, Robert. The pies still have to cool before you can eat them. Now sit up at the table and eat your breakfast."
Robert sat at the table and stared at his bowl of carrot porridge. Somehow with the smell of blueberry pie in the kitchen, carrot porridge didn't sound very good to Robert. I just can't wait, he thought. I must have just a little taste. Then suddenly, Robert got an idea.
"Maggie!" he called leaning down toward the hole next to the refrigerator. "Ma-ggie!"
"You called me?" asked Maggie emerging from her mouse hole.
"Yes," said Robert. "I was wondering if you would climb up to the window sill and break me off a piece of crust from one of the pies."
"Sure," agreed Maggie eagerly, remembering the many times Robert had given her crumbs of corn muffin under the kitchen table.
She scurried up the blueberry stained apron strings dangling from the kitchen counter, leaped up to the window sill, and bit off a big chunk of the crust just as Robert's mother turned around.
"AAAHHH!" screamed Robert's mother. She took up the broom and began wildly swatting at Maggie.
"EEEKKK!" shrieked Maggie as she made a frantic dash for her hole, dropping the piece of pie.
"My pie, my pie!" gasped Robert's mother, inspecting the mouse prints on the crust. "It's ruined! We can not eat a pie with mouse prints on it!"
Robert quickly finished his breakfast and went outside to try to get his mind off the two pies left cooling in the window sill. He plopped himself down under the tree and began to mope. I want some pie right now, thought Robert. I can't wait all day for the pies to cool. Then suddenly, Robert got an even better idea.
"Betty!" he called looking up at the nest high in the tree. "Be-tty!"
"Yes, Robert?" asked Betty peering down from her nest.
"I was wondering if you would fly to the window sill and fan the pies with your wings to cool them."
"Okay," agreed Betty, remembering the many times Robert had left her pumpkin seeds on the front porch steps.
She glided down to the window sill and began furiously fanning one of the pies.
"AAAHHH!" cried Robert's mother who began swatting at Betty with a dish towel. "My pie, my pie," she moaned as she plucked the bird feathers out of the pie which were sticking up like birthday candles. "It's ruined. We can not eat a pie with feathers in it."
Robert stood outside the window gazing up at the last pie. I must have some pie now, thought Robert. It's much too difficult to be patient. Then suddenly, he got his best idea yet.
I can run real fast, he thought. I'll run as fast as I can with the pie to my secret hiding place in the woods. The wind will surly cool the pie by the time I get there, and then I can eat the whole thing.
He jumped up, grabbed the pie off the window sill, and began running through the front yard as fast as he could towards the woods.
"AAAHHH!" shrieked Robert's mother, "RO-GER!"
Frightened by his mother's screams, Robert tripped over the garden hose and pitched the last blueberry pie ten feet in the air. The pie landed on the ground. KERSPLAT!
"My pie, my pie," moaned Robert's mother.
"My pie, my pie," moaned Robert.
That night Robert went to bed without any supper and without any pie. His mother came in to talk to him.
"Do you see what happens when you aren't patient Robert?" asked his mother tucking him into bed.
"Ya, I didn't get any pie at all. I'm sorry, mama," he said sleepily, "But it's hard to be patient when there's pie."
Robert's mother smiled down at him and kissed him on his furry forehead. "Tomorrow," she whispered, "Tomorrow we will try again."
Robert lifted his heavy head from the pillow. His eyes widened. "When tomorrow?" he asked.
"Oh, Robert," sighed his mother. "You go to sleep now."
Robert closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, his head full of dreams of fresh baked blueberry pie and great new ideas.
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