“Hooray!” Scott cheered, hopping into the back seat of the car and buckled up. Today Mom and Dad were taking him to the zoo to have a picnic lunch with the wild animals.
On the way there, steam started to pour from the car. Dad stopped at a rest area.
“What’s wrong?” Scott asked.
“The radiator’s leaking,” Dad answered. “We have to wait here for a tow truck.”
“No,” Scott sobbed. Dad went to call for help.
“Mom, can I get out of the car?”
“Let’s go together.”
They grabbed their cooler and sat down at one of the picnic tables. Scott wished the picnic tables were near the elephants and giraffes at the zoo.
Suddenly, he saw something that made him hold his breath. A small brown rabbit sat nearby, watching him. Then it lowered its head and munched on some grass.
“Is that a wild rabbit?” Scott whispered to Mom.
“Yes, it is.”
“Awesome.”
As Scott continued to watch, his stomach rumbled. “Can I have a snack?”
“Sure,” Mom answered.
Scott grabbed some carrots from the cooler and handed one to Mom. “Can I give the rabbit one?”
Mom nodded. “Throw it to him gently.”
Scott threw his carrot to the rabbit. It approached the carrot and began to nibble on it. Scott smiled at Mom.
As the rabbit ate, Scott had an idea. He whispered it to Mom.
“That will make Dad very happy,” she said.
While Dad was in the rest area center, they got to work. Then, they went to look for him.
“Dad, I have a surprise for you,” Scott said. “Close your eyes and be very quiet.”
Scott led him out of the rest area center and to the picnic table. “Okay, open your eyes.”
Dad opened his eyes and a smile spread across his face. Their red-and-white checkered picnic blanket covered the table. A roast beef sandwich, two carrot sticks, and a chocolate chip cookie lay at each of three place settings.
Nearby, three rabbits munched at the grass. Scott and his parents looked up at the sound of scratching. They watched as two gray-blue squirrels chased each other around a tree. The squirrels scurried to the top as a blue jay landed in one of the tree’s branches.
“We’re having a picnic with the wild animals after all,” Scott said.
~The End~
Illustration Copyright © 2008 Melissa Sheldon
Copyright © 2008 by George Anthony Kulz