Rosie the Rabbit Learns to Wait Her Turn

In a sunny meadow, beside a sparkling pond, there stood a big old tree. Its branches were wide and leafy. And from its strongest branch hung a swing.

The swing was simple. It had two thick ropes and a flat wooden seat. But to the young animals of the meadow, it was the most wonderful thing in the world.

When you sat on the swing and pushed off, you flew. Up, up, up, until your feet touched the leaves. Then down, down, down, until your tummy did a little flip. Then up again, toward the blue sky.

All the young animals loved the swing. But Rosie the rabbit loved it most of all.

Every morning, as soon as the sun came up, Rosie raced to the tree. Hop, hop, hop! Zoom! She always got there first. And she always jumped straight onto the swing.

Rosie had three good friends. There was Toby the turtle, who was slow and calm and kind. There was Kiki the squirrel, who was quick and chattery and loved to climb. And there was little Dot, a fluffy yellow duckling who was the youngest of them all.

One bright morning, Rosie was on the swing as usual.

Up, up, up! Her ears flew out behind her.

Down, down, down! Her tummy did a flip.

"Wheee!" said Rosie.

Kiki scampered up to the tree. Then Toby arrived, slowly, slowly, one step at a time. Then Dot came waddling over the grass, flapping her tiny wings.

They stood in a line by the tree. They watched Rosie swing.

Up, up, up. Down, down, down.

Dot looked up at the swing with big, hopeful eyes. She had never been on it before. She had only watched.

"Rosie," Dot said in her small voice. "Can I have a turn?"

"Just one more swing," said Rosie.

Up, up, up. Down, down, down.

"Is it my turn now?" asked Dot.

"Just one more swing," said Rosie.

Up, up, up. Down, down, down.

Kiki tapped her foot. "Rosie, you have had lots of swings."

"Just one more," said Rosie. "Then it is your turn. I promise."

But one more swing became two more swings. Two more became five. And five more became ten.

Up, up, up. Down, down, down. Up, up, up. Down, down, down.

Rosie was having so much fun that she closed her eyes. She felt the wind on her whiskers. She felt the sun on her fur. She forgot all about the line of friends waiting by the tree.

Slowly, the friends began to wander away.

Kiki sighed and climbed up the trunk of another tree. Toby turned around and walked to the edge of the pond, slowly, slowly. And little Dot waddled off with her head down and her tiny wings drooping.

Rosie swung, and swung, and swung.

Finally, her legs got tired. She let the swing slow down. Back and forth. Back and forth. Then she stopped.

She opened her eyes.

"Okay!" she called. "Who is next?"

But nobody answered.

Rosie looked around. The line by the tree was empty. There was no Kiki. There was no Toby. There was no Dot.

The meadow was very quiet. A bee buzzed past. A leaf drifted down and landed on the empty grass.

Rosie sat on the swing all by herself.

But something was wrong. The swing did not feel so fun anymore. There was no one to shout, "Higher, Rosie!" There was no one to laugh with her. There was no one to see how high she could go.

Rosie slowly stopped the swing. She hopped down onto the grass.

She thought about Dot's small voice asking, "Can I have a turn?" She thought about how many times she had said, "Just one more."

Her ears drooped. Her nose stopped twitching.

"Oh," Rosie said quietly. "Oh no."

She hopped across the meadow toward the pond. Hop. Hop. Hop. Not fast this time. Slow and thoughtful.

There, on a flat rock by the water, were her three friends. Toby, Kiki, and Dot were sitting close together, looking at the ripples. Nobody was talking much.

Rosie stopped in front of them. She took a deep breath.

"I am sorry," she said. "I kept the swing for too long. I said 'one more' too many times. I was only thinking about me."

Her friends looked up.

"Dot," said Rosie, "you asked so nicely. And I did not listen. I am really sorry."

Dot blinked her big eyes.

"Will you come back?" asked Rosie. "Please?"

Nobody said anything for a moment.

Then Toby smiled his slow, kind smile.

"We will come back," he said.

So they all went back to the big old tree together. Rosie hopped. Kiki scampered. Dot waddled. And Toby walked, slowly, slowly, while everyone waited for him.

At the swing, Rosie turned to Dot.

"You go first," she said.

Dot's eyes went wide. "Me? Really?"

"Really," said Rosie.

Dot hopped up onto the wooden seat. She held on tight to the ropes with her little wings.

"I will push you," said Rosie. "Not too high. Just right."

Rosie gave the swing a gentle push.

Up, up went Dot. Down, down went Dot.

"Quack!" said Dot. "Quack, quack, quack!" It was the happiest quacking anyone had ever heard.

"Higher, Dot!" cheered Kiki.

"You are flying!" called Toby.

Rosie pushed and pushed, gently and carefully. And every time Dot swung up into the leaves, Rosie laughed.

Then it was Kiki's turn. Kiki swung fast, and chattered the whole time. "Look at me! Look at me!"

Then it was Toby's turn. Toby swung very, very slowly. Up... and down... and up... and down. He closed his eyes and smiled the most peaceful smile.

While she waited, Rosie noticed something surprising. Cheering for her friends was fun. Pushing Dot and hearing her quack was fun. Watching Toby swing so slowly that it made everyone giggle was fun.

It was almost as much fun as swinging.

And then, at last, it was Rosie's turn.

"Ready?" said Kiki and Dot, holding the ropes.

"Ready," said Rosie.

They gave her a big push. Up, up, up! Down, down, down!

"Higher, Rosie!" shouted her friends.

They took turns all afternoon. Dot, then Kiki, then Toby, then Rosie. Dot, then Kiki, then Toby, then Rosie.

When the sun began to set, turning the pond pink and gold, they all lay down in the soft grass under the big old tree.

"That was the best swing day ever," said Dot, with a happy yawn.

And everyone agreed.