The Tale of the Misplaced Blame

Illustration by Rayshea  Age:  4
Ms. McIntosh's Preschool class

           The water on Polliwog Pond glistened in the morning sunlight.  Audra the duck was trying to catch a waterbug for breakfast without much success.  Xavier the frog sat on a lily pad watching Audra chase the bugs. 

When the same bug got away from Audra for the tenth time, Audra screamed out in frustration, “Xavier, will you please get out of my way so I can catch some breakfast!”           

Dumbfounded, Xavier looked at Audra and said, “I’m just sitting here.  Why are you yelling at me?”

“Because you’re in my way!” Audra stated sternly.  “I will never catch a bug until you get off the pond.”

“Fine,” said Xavier as he hopped to shore and then up the path to the clearing.

Audra tried for a few more minutes to catch a bug, and then gave up.  She would just find some seeds along the path to the clearing for breakfast.  She swam to shore and began to waddle up the path.

Illustration by Ramon  Age:  4
Ms. McIntosh's Preschool class

Before long she met Hayden the turtle slowly making his way to the clearing.  She bent down to pick up a seed on the side of the path and tripped over a root.  As she fell she shoved Hayden out of her way.

“Watch where you are going!” shouted Audra at Hayden.

Hayden looked up at Audra questioningly and asked, “What did I do?”

“You’re in my way and made me trip over a root,” stated Audra.

“I was just walking on the path.  I had nothing to do with you tripping,” said Hayden defensively.

“You’re always in everybody’s way because you are so slow,” said Audra, and she stomped away leaving Hayden standing there with his mouth open in shock.

When Audra reached the clearing, Xavier was there with the butterfly twins, Summer and Madison.  When Summer saw Audra, she flew up to her and said, “Good morning, Audra.”

Illustration by Mark  Age:  4
Ms. McIntosh's Preschool class

Audra didn’t answer, but looked angrily at Xavier.  Then she started looking for seeds at the edge of the clearing.

“What are you doing?” asked Summer trying to get her friend to talk to her.

“I’m trying to find some breakfast since Xavier kept me from getting any waterbugs this morning.  And if you were any kind of friend, you would help me find some breakfast,” said Audra.

Summer didn’t know how to respond to that.  She flew around looking for seeds until Madison came over and stopped her.

Madison flew up to Audra, landed right on her nose, and said, “It is not Summer’s fault that you have not had any breakfast, and it’s not Xavier’s fault either.  He told us what you said to him back at the pond.  Just because things are not going your way does not give you the right to blame it on every one else.  Now, you apologize to Summer and Xavier.”

Illustration by Cheyenne  Age:  3
Ms. McIntosh's Preschool class

At first, Audra just stared at Madison in shock.  Then she looked at her friends and realized how mean she had been to them that morning.  “I’m sorry I yelled at you, Summer and you, too, Xavier.  I guess I probably should apologize to Hayden, too.  I shoved him and told him he was too slow.  I was just so frustrated because I couldn’t catch that stupid bug.  I shouldn’t have taken it out on you guys.”

“We forgive you,” said Summer as Xavier nodded in agreement.

             Just then Hayden lumbered into the clearing.  After Audra apologized to him as well, the four friends decided to help Audra gather seeds for her breakfast.  Then they all played restaurant and served Audra as if she were their customer.  It was probably the most pleasant breakfast Audra had eaten in a very long time.