Annie and the Rabbit

Tina Shaw

“Hello， Annie. Wheres your mum？”said Mick. “She went out，”Annie said.“Well， Ill see her next time. Bye，”saidMick.“Bye， Mick，”Annie said.

After some time， Annies mother cameback.“Did you give Mick the money？”

Mother asked.“Oh， I didnt！ I forgot，”

Annie said.“Why？ I told you to do that.Youre the only girl in the family andyoure eight years old， not four years old！If only your father was around more， andnot always at work，”Mother said.

Annie was sad. Her mother alwaystold her off， but never her brothers. Theycould get away with anything， justbecause they were boys.“Im not happy，”

Annie shouted. Her mother was not happy，either. Annie found it would be a goodidea not to be around here， so she wentinto the back room.

In the room， she found a box. But itwas a small rabbits foot on a chain2 thatcaught3 her eye. It was Grandfathers.Annies mother said it was a luckyrabbits foot. How would her mum knowif she just took the rabbits foot out for alittle time？ She wanted to show it toThumper， her best friend Harriets oldrabbit. Annie could hear her mother inthe kitchen. Good， she was busy cookingdinner. Then Annie went out.

“Hey， Annie！ ”Mr. Field said. Hewanted to show her his budgie4 calledTimmy. He liked talking to children. ThenMr. Field showed Annie his Timmy.“Youcan play with Timmy，”Mr. Field said.Timmy was so cute and warm.

“I think he likes you， Annie. Ill puthim back. Jacks just come in，”Mr. Fieldsaid. Jack was a cute cat. The cat likedAnnie very much and it wanted to play withher when she came to visit. But the catdidnt like Timmy.

“Want to see my secret5？”“Whatsthat？”“Look！ ”Annie showed him the rabbitsfoot.“My dear！ Who does that belongto？”“My mum says its the only thing frommy granddad. He had this rabbits foot inhis life. Do you know what people say aboutrabbits foot？ It will give you lucky life. Imgoing to show it to Harriet， so I cannot stay.Bye， Mr. Field.”

Annie went to Harriets house. Harrietplayed with her mother. Annie could seeThumper the rabbit. He looked unhappy.“Ive got a little thing to show you，”Anniesaid to Thumper. “Oh no， its not there！ ”“Whatsnot there？”asked Harriet comingover.“My rabbits foot. I must have lost it.I must find it，”said Annie. “Is it in Mr.Fields home？”Annie went back to Mr.Fields home but found he had gone out.

Back at her home， Annie didnt knowwhat to do. “And just where have youbeen？”Mother asked. “I went to playwith Harriet，” Annie said. She lookedaround and saw her four brothers.“Yourgrandfathers rabbits foot has gonemissing6. Do any of you know where itis？”Mother asked. “No，”they all said.Annie found the sad look in her mumseyes. Tomorrow she would find it， butwhere is it？

On her way to school the nextmorning， Annie saw Geraldine.“Its mine.I found it！ ”Geraldine shouted to somegirls. “Found what？”asked Annie. Shethen saw her mums rabbits foot！

“That old cat belonging to Mr. Fieldwas playing with it. Its mine now，”Geraldine said.“No！ ”Annie said.“Its mymums， and I was going to show it to Harriet.I must have lost it in Mr. Fields houseyesterday. Give it back to me， please！ ”

“No！ ”Geraldine said.“If you dontlet me take it back， Ill ask my big brotherfor help，”Annie said. “Im not afraid ofyour brother. I want a penny to buy somefood. Then you can get back your rabbitsfoot，”Geraldine said. Annie had no idea.“OK， Ill get the money after school.”“Good. See you after school then.”

Annie was guilty7， but she knew thiswas her way to get the rabbits foot backand make her mum happy again. She stole8a penny from home. “Heres the penny，”

Annie shouted. “My mum said it wasnt alucky rabbits foot. We dont want it in ourhouse！ Geraldine said.“No！ It is lucky. Itsaved my grandfather in the war9！ ”Anniesaid， got the rabbits foot and went backhome. She couldnt help but think that hermum would be so happy.

Later that evening， Annies mother saidto her father， “A pennys gone missing. Doyou know where it went？”“Im missing apenny. Are you sure you havent taken it，Annie？”her mother asked. “No，”Annie wassad“. How come you never asked my brothers？You always ask me！ ”

In the end， Annie told her parentseverything and gave the rabbits foot backto her mother. Annies parents told hernever to lie10 again. They loved her as muchas they loved her brothers.

“你好，安妮。你媽媽在哪兒？”

米克說。“她出去了。”安妮說。“好吧，我下次再見她。再見。”米克說。

“再見，米克。”安妮說。

過了一會兒，安妮的媽媽回來了。“你給米克錢了嗎？”媽媽問。“哦，我沒有！我忘了。”安妮說。“為什么？我告訴過你了。你是家里唯一的女孩，而且你8 歲了，不是4 歲！要是你父親多陪陪你，而不是一直在工作就好了。”媽媽說。

安妮很傷心。她媽媽總是責備她，但從不責備她的哥哥們。因為他們是男孩，所以他們可以逃避任何事情。“我不高興。”安妮喊道。她媽媽也不高興了。安妮覺得最好不要待在這里，于是她進了里屋。

在房間里，她發現了一個盒子。

但引起她注意的是戴著鏈子的那只小兔子的腳。這是外公的。安妮的媽媽說這是幸運兔的腳。如果她把兔子的腳拿出來一會兒，她媽媽怎么會知道呢？她想把它拿給她最好的朋友哈麗特家的老兔子桑普看。安妮能聽見她媽媽在廚房里。很好，她正忙著做晚飯。然后安妮走了出去。

“嗨，安妮！”菲爾德先生說。他想給她看他那只叫蒂米的虎皮鸚鵡。他喜歡和孩子們交談。然后，菲爾德先生給安妮看了他的蒂米。“你可以和蒂米一起玩。”菲爾德先生說。蒂米是如此的可愛和溫暖。

“我想它喜歡你，安妮。我要把它放回去了。杰克剛才進來了。”菲爾德說。杰克是一只可愛的貓。這只貓非常喜歡安妮，當安妮來串門的時候，它想和她一起玩。但是這只貓不喜歡蒂米。

“想看看我的秘密嗎？”“什么秘密？”“看！”安妮給他看了那只兔子腳。“我的天，這是誰的？”“我媽媽說這是我外公留下的唯一的東西。

他花了一生時間保存這只兔子腳。

你知道人們怎么說兔子腳嗎？

它會給你帶來幸運的生活。我要把它給哈麗特看，所以我不能留下來。再見，菲爾德先生。”

安妮去了哈麗特家。哈麗特在和媽媽一起玩。安妮能看見兔子桑普，它看起來不高興。“我有個小東西給你看。”安妮對桑普說。“哎呀，不好，不見了！”“什么不見了？”哈麗特走過來問道。“我的兔子腳。我一定是丟了。我必須找到它。”安妮說。“在菲爾德先生家里嗎？”安妮回到菲爾德先生的家，發現他已經出去了。

回到家里，安妮不知道該怎么辦。“你剛才上哪兒去了？”媽媽問。“我去和哈麗特玩了。”安妮說。她環顧四周，看到了她的四個哥哥。“你們外公的兔子腳不見了，有人知道它在哪兒嗎？”媽媽問。“不知道。”他們都說。安妮看到了媽媽眼中悲傷的神情。明天她就會找到它，但是它在哪里呢？

第二天早上在上學的路上，安妮看到了杰拉爾丁。“是我的，我找到的！”杰拉爾丁對幾個女孩喊道。“發現了什么？”安妮問。然后她看到了她媽媽的兔子腳！

“菲爾德先生的那只老貓在玩它。它現在是我的了。”杰拉爾丁說。“不是！”安妮說，“這是我媽媽的，我正要給哈麗特看。我昨天一定是把它丟在菲爾德先生家里了。請把它還給我！”

“不還！”杰拉爾丁說。“如果你不讓我拿回它，我就讓我哥哥幫我。”安妮說。“我不怕你哥哥。

我想要一個便士買些食物。然后你就可以拿回你的兔子腳了。”

杰拉爾丁說。安妮不知道怎么辦。“好吧，放學后我去拿錢。”

“那好，放學后見。”

安妮很內疚，但她知道這是她找回兔子腳，讓媽媽再次高興起來的方法。她從家里偷了一個便士。“這是一個便士。”安妮喊道。我媽媽說那不是幸運的兔腳。“我們不想讓它進我們的房子！”杰拉爾丁說。“不對！

它是幸運的。它在戰爭中救了我外祖父！”安妮說完，接過兔子的腳回家了。她不禁想，她媽媽會很高興的。

那天晚上，安妮的媽媽對爸爸說：“我丟了一個便士。你知道它去哪兒了嗎？”“我少了一個便士，你確定你沒有拿嗎，安妮？”她媽媽問。“沒拿。”安妮很傷心，“你怎么從來沒問過我的哥哥們？你總是問我！”

最終，安妮把一切都告訴了父母，并把兔子腳還給了媽媽。安妮的父母叫她以后不要再撒謊了。他們像愛她的哥哥們一樣愛她。

Notes

1. rabbit 兔子

2. chain 鎖鏈

3. catch 接住；抓住；引起；吸引

4. budgie 虎皮鸚鵡

5. secret 秘密

6. missing 丟失的；找不到的

7. guilty 內疚的；感到慚愧的

8. steal 偷竊；盜竊

9. war 戰爭

10. lie 說謊；撒謊