Bedtime Story (14/10/2015)

I've been watching a lot of cookery shows today and one chef made a dessert featuring mushrooms - yes, you read that right!  Mushrooms are my absolute least favourite food and I avoid them at all costs.  So, this week's story is all about a bunny who finds it much harder to avoid his least favourite food - and how he learns that the grass isn't always greener elsewhere!

Barney The Bunny Who Didn't Like Carrots

Barney the bunny bounded into his burrow, with an expectant smile on his face.  "What's for tea, mum?"

"Carrot soup," his mum replied, not taking her eyes off the pot she was stirring.

Barney's smile disappeared.  "I hate carrots," he groaned.  

His mum tutted to herself.  "They're good for you, Barney.  And I've baked a delicious carrot cake for pudding, too!"

Barney wrinkled his nose and skulked off to his room.  Every day, he ate carrots.  Carrot crispies for breakfast, carrot coleslaw for lunch and carrot stew for dinner...  He'd had enough!  He shook his head and stormed back through the kitchen.

"Where are you going?"  His mum asked, suddenly looking a little concerned.  "Dinner's nearly ready!"

Barney shrugged his shoulders.  "I'm going to eat somewhere else," he replied in a huff.  "Somewhere they don't serve carrots!"

And with that, Barney stomped out of the burrow and began hopping away through the fields.  "Carrots are horrible," he muttered to himself.  "They're too crunchy and too orange and I never want to eat another one again!"

Barney was still grumbling to himself, when he came across a large bird, tapping the earth with her beak.  "What are you doing?"  He asked.

"Looking for dinner," the bird replied.

Barney grinned.  "Me too," he said.  "Can I join you?"

The bird plucked a long, slimy, wriggly worm out of the ground and dropped it at Barney's feet.  "Okay," the bird told him.  "There you go!"

Barney looked down at the worm in horror.  "I can't eat that," he cried.  "Sorry, but I'd better keep looking."

The bird flapped her wings.  "More for me then," she chuckled, slurping up the worm.  "Delicious!"

Barney was determined to find something scrumptious to eat.  He paused for a moment, scanning the field for creatures who might be able to point him in the right direction.  Suddenly, the ground he was sitting on began to rumble and shake and out popped a mole!

"Hello," the mole said, blinking in the sunlight.  "Are you alright?"

"I'm hungry," Barney replied, rubbing his belly.  "I don't suppose I could join you for dinner?"

The mole smiled and scooped up a handful of earth.  "Sure," he said.  "The ground is full of delicious grubs!"

Barney hung back, watching the grubs wiggle about in the mud.  They looked just as unappetising as the worm had!  "Actually..."  Barney managed a polite smile.  "I'm not as hungry as I thought I was... Thanks, anyway!

He hopped on through the grass.  His tummy was beginning to rumble.  "I need to find something to eat and fast," he groaned to himself.

Suddenly, he felt movement in the grass and a large toad bounced by.  "Hey," Barney called.  "Do you know where I could find some food?"

The toad chuckled.  "Just stick out your tongue," he called, as he flicked out his own long, pink tongue and snatched a buzzing fly out of the sky.  

Barney's lips curled.  "I don't really fancy eating bugs," he protested.  The toad didn't respond; he merely bounced away.

"This is much harder than I thought it would be," Barney sighed.  He was about to give up, when he spied a skunk.  Barney managed a smile.  "Hi," he said, holding out a paw.  "I'm Barney and I'm looking for something nice to eat.  Can you help me?"

The skunk narrowed his eyes.  "Now you mention it, you might be able to help me," he hissed.  "I'm hungry, too."

Barney blinked back at him, an uncertain feeling creeping upon him.  "What do you eat?"  

The skunk grinned.  "Little bunnies!"

Barney yelped and began racing as fast as he could, all the way back to his burrow.  By the time he arrived, his family were just finishing off their bowls of carrot soup.

"Did you find anything nice to eat?"  His mum asked.

Barney shook his head.  "No," he replied, pressing a paw to his rumbling tummy.

"Well, I'm afraid we finished the soup," his mum went on.  "But there's still plenty of carrot cake, if you'd like some?"

Barney nodded and sank into his chair.  "Oh, yes please," he said.  Suddenly, carrots didn't seem so bad, after all!

"Make mine a really big slice!"

THE END