Snail Tale

It was hide-and-seek time! Rose the snail left her garden work behind and ran to the grassy patch. She looked for places to hide while she waited for Sally and Peanut to arrive. Rose saw the dandelion where she had hidden last time -- what a great spot that had been! Today, she thought, her hiding spot would be just as good.

Sally and Peanut finally arrived. "Ready to play?" they asked. Rose was ready indeed. "Let's play!" she shouted, "I'll hide first!"

But Peanut found her behind the round stone almost immediately. Rose's hiding spot in the tall flowers didn't fool her friends either. Why was Rose having such a hard time at her favorite game? "I'll try harder this time," she thought, "they'll never find me in the mossy log." But they did find her, and quickly. "No fair!," shouted Rose, "you peeked!" But Sally and Peanut had not peeked. It was Rose's shell that had given her away; it stood out against the green moss on the log. "I quit!", said Rose, "I've had enough hide-and-seek."

Rose felt unhappy as she headed home. She was tired from all her work in the garden. She was frustrated because her hiding spots had been discovered so quickly. She was worried that the vegetables she planted might not grow.

Rose went to her garden when she got home. As she looked around, she saw a familiar face -- it was Betty the Butterfly! Betty had flown over from her home in the apple tree to help with the tomatoes and cucumbers. "I thought you might need some help!" said Betty.

Rose and Betty spent time together, working in the garden. Betty was concerned about her friend. "Rose, you look so tired! How much time have you been spending on your garden?" When Rose told Betty that she had spent many hours working in the garden, Betty had an idea. "Why don't you take a rest in your snail house, and I'll finish up with the tomatoes? Then we can have our supper together." Rose didn't want to take a break, she was worried about the plants and wanted to keep working in the garden. But Betty the Butterfly insisted, "you go have a nap," she said, "I'll be finished here in no time."

When Rose laid down for a nap, she fell into a deep sleep. She dreamt of ripe red tomatoes, and of all the wonderful hiding places near the grassy patch. When she finally awoke, Betty had finished the garden work, and together they cooked a tasty dinner. As they ate, Rose thanked Betty for her help.

"Best of all," said Rose, "you gave me a chance to take a rest. I didn't realize how tired I had become working in the garden. I was so tired that I behaved badly when the game of hide-and-seek didn't go my way."

The garden didn't seem so overwhelming, and hide-and-seek didn't seem so frustrating, now that Rose was resting in her snail house with her good friend Betty.