Bad, Bad Bunnies Read online

  “We’ll find another one,” said Tracy. “Don’t worry.”

  The girls walked and walked.

  They looked and looked.

  There was no sign of a fire hazard anywhere.

  “It’s getting late,” said Tracy. “I have to go home.”

  Molly felt terrible.

  “We’ll find you one tomorrow,” Mary Beth said. “We have lots of time during vacation.”

  “It sounded like Larry was laughing when I called,” said Mary Beth. “Why would he laugh at a fire hazard?”

  “Well, we did the right thing,” said Tracy. “And we can get our fire safety badge on Tuesday.”

  Bad Bunny Sonny

  But Mrs. Peters did not give badges on Tuesday. She had Easter on her mind.

  “We will wait until everyone is ready,” she said, “and give the badges out all together. Today the good word is ‘Easter.’ ”

  Good, thought Molly. More time to find a hazard.

  The Scouts gave their eggs to Mrs. Peters.

  Then they talked about fire safety.

  Then they told all of the good deeds they had done for others during the week.

  “Now,” said Mrs. Peters, “we are going to dye Easter eggs. We’ll put some of them in baskets for poor children, and hang some on our Easter-egg tree. The others we will save for our Easter-egg hunt on Saturday.”

  “Mrs. Peters,” Tracy called, “will there be a prize for the one who finds the most eggs at the hunt?”

  “Yes, Tracy. The one who finds the most eggs will get a big stuffed Easter bunny, and the one who comes in second will get a box of chocolate cream eggs.”

  “My dad says chocolate is bad for your teeth,” said Rachel.

  Rachel’s father was a dentist.

  “No way,” said Kevin. “I eat chocolate and I have good teeth.”

  He pulled his lips back with his fingers to show Rachel his teeth.

  Mrs. Peters clapped her hands for attention.

  The Pee Wees went down in the Peters’s basement. On a big table were little jars with Easter-egg dyes in them. There were ten place mats. And on each place mat were dyes for every Scout.

  Red. Blue. Green. Yellow. Orange. Pink. Purple.

  There were wax crayons to write on the eggs.

  There were little stickers with swirly designs to decorate the eggs.

  And there were pictures to paste on the eggs.

  “I have some extra hard-boiled eggs here,” said Mrs. Peters. “So with the three you each brought, we have plenty for the egg hunt and the baskets.”

  Mrs. Peters showed them how to dip the eggs in the dye. She told them how long to leave them in.

  “Where is Sonny?” whispered Tracy to Molly.

  Sonny’s spot at the table was empty.

  “Maybe he is sick,” said Molly.

  Just as the Scouts were deciding on their favorite color, there was the sound of voices upstairs.

  The Scouts could hear Sonny’s voice. But who was with him?

  Sonny came down the steps. He had Snuffy in his pocket and his three eggs in a bag. But he looked angry.

  Mrs. Betz came in behind him.

  And behind her was Larry, the fire chief.

  “What is he doing here?” yelled Kenny.

  Mrs. Peters looked surprised too.

  “Larry drove us over,” said Mrs. Betz. “We went out on a call with him.”

  “It was a false alarm!” Larry laughed.

  Sonny scowled.

  Larry and Mrs. Betz waved good-bye as they left.

  “I am going to dye every egg red,” said Patty. “It’s my favorite color.”

  Molly liked red too. But it didn’t seem like an Easter color to her. “I am going to make one pink, and one blue, and one yellow,” she said.

  The Scouts worked hard.

  Suddenly Tim cried, “Hey! Sonny bumped my arm and cracked my egg.”

  “Did not, liar!” said Sonny.

  Mrs. Peters gave Tim a new egg. “Maybe Sonny needs more room,” she said, frowning at him.

  Everyone moved over to give Sonny more room.

  Rachel drew a face on her egg. “This is me,” she said.

  “Egghead Rachel!” teased Roger. “Rachel is an egghead.”

  Rachel pretended she was going to throw an egg at Roger.

  But she didn’t.

  “My purple egg is missing!” said Mary Beth. She looked around the table. There it was, in front of Sonny.

  “Sonny took it,” she said.

  “I did not,” said Sonny.

  “I know that’s mine,” said Mary Beth to Molly. “I pasted Donald Duck on it. And it’s purple. It’s my favorite egg.”

  Mrs. Peters gave Mary Beth a new egg. She frowned at Sonny again.

  “What’s the matter with Sonny?” Molly asked Lisa. “He’s sure a grumpy pumpkin today.”

  Lisa just shrugged her shoulders.

  When Molly finished dyeing her third egg, she reached for some extras.

  Snuffy was sitting on the worktable. He began to walk around the eggs.

  “Look!” said Lisa.

  Snuffy had stopped in front of Roger. Quick as a wink Roger grabbed Snuffy and dipped his backside in purple dye.

  Molly and Lisa watched.

  Sonny didn’t see him, though. He was cutting out a picture of a rabbit.

  Roger swished Snuffy’s bottom around and around. When he took it out, his stubby tail was bright purple.

  “Ho, ho, Snuffy’s an Easter bunny now!” shouted Roger.

  “Oh, no!” shouted Sonny. He turned red with anger. “I’ll get you for that!” Sonny picked up an Easter egg and threw it at Roger.

  The egg missed Roger.

  But it hit Mrs. Peters!

  Splat! The egg broke and ran down Mrs. Peters’s blouse.

  No one said a word.

  Everyone stared.

  Mrs. Peters marched over to Sonny and gave him a little shake.

  “Why are you such a bad bunny today?” she asked. “It’s almost Easter. What’s bothering you?”

  Sonny put his head down and began to cry.

  Molly got some paper towels and helped Mrs. Peters sponge off her blouse.

  “Yuck,” said Rachel. “Sonny, didn’t you know we were supposed to bring cooked eggs?”

  “Why aren’t your eggs cooked, Sonny?” asked Mrs. Peters.

  “My mom forgot,” sobbed Sonny.

  Mrs. Peters went upstairs and when she came down she had a clean blouse on. She had baby Nick with her. She patted Sonny on the head. “It was just an accident,” she said.

  “He threw it on purpose,” said Tracy. “He’s mean.”

  “Yeah,” said Roger. “He’s a bad, bad bunny.”

  The Scouts finished dyeing their eggs. Mrs. Peters hung some of them on the egg tree with little ribbons. She put the others in baskets with marshmallow rabbits and jelly beans. The Scouts got to take their favorite egg home with them.

  Soon it was time to hold hands and sing the Pee Wee Scout song. And say the Pee Wee Scout pledge. Then everyone helped clean up the basement.

  “Saturday is the Easter-egg hunt,” Mrs. Peters reminded them. “Be at the park at ten o’clock in the morning.”

  Outside, Mrs. Betz and Larry were waiting in the car for Sonny.

  “This is mysterious,” said Mary Beth. “Why is the fire chief hanging around here?”

  “Maybe he thinks the Pee Wee Scouts are going to catch on fire,” Kevin said, laughing.

  “You guys are really dumb,” said Rachel. “He’s dating Mrs. Betz.”

  The Winner

  All week Molly looked for a fire hazard.

  All week she didn’t find one.

  On Saturday morning the sun was shining.

  “It’s a wonderful day for an Easter-egg hunt,” said Mrs. Duff.

  Molly’s mother gave her a basket to take with her, for the eggs she would find. Maybe Molly would find the most eggs! She raced to the park.

&n
bsp; “Happy Easter!” called Mrs. Peters as the Scouts gathered.

  “Look at the balloons!” shouted Lisa.

  “Mrs. Betz and Larry decorated the park,” said Mrs. Peters. “And they hid the eggs.”

  Mrs. Betz and Larry.

  Molly started to understand why Sonny was upset.

  When all of the Scouts were there, Mrs. Peters said, “Now, don’t dig, or step on any plants while you are looking for eggs. They are all where you can find them easily. I don’t want to see any bad bunnies today.” She smiled.

  Molly could see one red egg already. It was under a pine tree.

  “Ready, set, go!” shouted Mrs. Peters.

  The Scouts scattered.

  Molly headed for the pine tree. She grabbed the red egg. Then she looked under rosebushes and in back of the toolshed. She found another one under a park bench. A yellow one.

  Around and around the Scouts ran.

  In every direction.

  Soon Molly had five eggs in her basket.

  “I can’t find any,” Tim whined.

  Molly felt like giving Tim one of hers, but that wouldn’t be fair. “Look in back of that birdhouse,” she whispered to him.

  “I found six,” said Rachel. “I hope I win that rabbit.”

  “I have six too,” said Kenny.

  “I have to find one more,” said Rachel.

  Molly looked around for Sonny. Finally she saw him sitting on a stump. He wasn’t even looking for eggs.

  Molly sat down beside him.

  “Get out of here,” he said.

  “What’s the matter, Sonny?”

  “None of your beeswax,” he answered.

  “It’s Larry, isn’t it?” said Molly.

  “I hate him!” said Sonny. “He’s always hanging around our house and my mom goes out with him and leaves me with a baby-sitter.”

  Sonny punched his fist into his hand.

  “She used to take me with her. Now she forgets to make my breakfast and everything.”

  Molly wondered what to say.

  “I wish that old fire chief would get out of town,” Sonny went on. Then he got up and ran off.

  “What’s the matter with him, anyway?” Roger asked Molly.

  Molly didn’t answer. She didn’t want anyone to tease Sonny about his mother’s boyfriend.

  “I found another egg!” said Rachel, walking by. “I bet I’ll be the winner with seven.”

  Mrs. Peters sat on the bench in the sun. Beside her sat the large white stuffed rabbit. The first prize.

  “Ten more minutes!” she called.

  The Scouts scampered around to be sure all the eggs had been found.

  Sonny had no eggs.

  Molly watched him pout.

  Then Mrs. Peters called, “Time is up! Time to count the eggs and find out who is the winner!”

  The Pee Wees brought their baskets over to Mrs. Peters. They all talked at once.

  “I think I’m the winner, Mrs. Peters,” said Rachel.

  “Rachel has seven eggs,” said Mrs. Peters. “Does anyone have more than seven?”

  Rachel looked nervous.

  Patty raised her hand. Patty was shy. Her voice was so soft, the Scouts could hardly hear her. “I have ten,” she said.

  “Does anyone have more than ten?” called Mrs. Peters.

  No one did.

  “Our winner,” said Mrs. Peters, “is Patty Baker, with ten eggs!”

  She held up Patty’s basket and the Scouts cheered.

  “Yeah, Patty!” called Roger.

  Mrs. Peters handed the prize to Patty.

  “Thank you,” she said softly. She gave the rabbit a hug.

  “And in second place,” said Mrs. Peters, “we have Kevin Moe! With a total of eight eggs!”

  “Thank you, thank you,” said Kevin, as if he had won an election.

  “He doesn’t have to give a speech just because he won a box of candy,” scoffed Tracy.

  Mrs. Peters passed out the balloons and decorations. “And you can take the eggs you found home with you,” she said.

  “Thanks a lot,” Rachel muttered.

  The Pee Wees joined hands and sang their Pee Wee Scout song and said their Pee Wee Scout pledge.

  Then it was time to go home.

  Molly walked with Tracy and Mary Beth. Sonny was walking alone. He was kicking a rock ahead of him.

  “I think we should try to cheer Sonny up,” said Molly.

  “Why?” said Tracy. “He’s a baby. And he’s been mean lately.”

  “He’s unhappy,” said Molly. She told her friends about Larry.

  “He’s jealous,” said Mary Beth. “I sometimes get jealous of my brother.”

  “There must be something we can do to help,” said Molly. “Our song says Scouts are helpers.”

  “Maybe somebody can get Larry transferred to another town,” said Tracy. “My uncle got transferred once.”

  “We don’t want to get rid of Larry. We want Sonny and Larry to be friends,” said Molly.

  “Molly’s right,” said Mary Beth. “Sonny is kind of a baby. Larry could be good for him.”

  Making Sonny and Larry friends could be harder than it sounded, thought Molly. It might take a lot of work.

  Molly Smells Trouble

  On Easter Sunday Molly’s grandparents came to dinner. They brought Molly baskets full of candy. And two stuffed animals. After dinner she called Tracy.

  “I have to help with the dishes,” said Tracy when Molly asked her to go for a bike ride. “But I’ll meet you at three o’clock.”

  Later that day the girls rode their bikes to the park. Kevin was there playing ball with Roger. And Mary Beth was playing a game with her family.

  Pretty soon Sonny came along. He had Snuffy in his pocket. Snuffy still had a purple body. Sonny rode his bike. The one with training wheels on it.

  “Hi,” called Molly.

  Sonny didn’t answer.

  “Let’s go cheer him up,” said Molly. “It will count as a good deed.”

  “It must be nice to have a fire chief in the family,” said Molly politely.

  “He’s not in the family,” said Sonny. “He’s a stranger.”

  “She means it would be fun to have a fire chief for a friend,” said Tracy. “In case there’s a fire in your house or something.”

  Sonny pouted.

  “Lots of families have more than just two people in them,” Molly went on. “I mean, I’ve got a dad and you don’t see me getting mad about it.”

  “So do I,” said Tracy. “It’s not so bad.”

  “Larry’s not my dad!” shouted Sonny.

  “Well, he might be someday,” said Molly.

  Sonny didn’t answer.

  “I think you should get used to him,” said Tracy. “He could do stuff with you. He’s a nice guy.”

  Sonny glared at her.

  “Let’s go,” said Tracy.

  Before they left, Molly whispered, “Your mom still loves you, Sonny. She just needs a grown-up friend too.”

  “I have to go,” said Tracy. “I’m playing Monopoly with my aunt.”

  Tracy waved and rode off.

  Molly watched Roger and Kevin. She played with Mary Beth’s family awhile. Then she decided to go on a bike ride herself.

  She rode up one street.

  Down another.

  Past the drugstore.

  Around the church.

  It was a wonderful sunny day.

  A perfect day for a bike ride.

  I’ll ride down alleys, Molly said to herself. I’ll look at the backs of houses instead of the fronts.

  Up and down.

  Up and down.

  Molly had not seen these backyards before. It was fun to see new things. No one was out in the yards. They are all in the house eating Easter dinner, thought Molly. Or watching Easter specials on TV. Or taking naps. That’s what her grandma was doing.

  As Molly rode, she sniffed the air. She smelled something besides lilacs. It r
eminded her of the Pee Wee weenie roast last year. The smell got stronger as Molly rode on.

  Then she saw smoke.

  The smoke was curling out from under a garage door. No one was around. Molly’s first thought was to call the fire chief. Would Larry be at the firehouse on Easter?

  More and more smoke filled the alley. There was no time to go home and tell her parents.

  Molly parked her bike and ran to the back door of the house. She pounded on the door.

  “Help!” she shouted.

  An old man came to the door.

  “Your garage is on fire!” she shouted.

  “Come in!” he said to Molly.

  He picked up the telephone and called 911. He told them about the fire and gave his address.

  Before long Molly heard sirens, and the fire truck came around the corner. It looked like the fire truck that the Scouts had ridden in not long ago.

  Molly and the man stayed in the house as the firefighters dragged their hoses to the garage. Dave and Carol were there. Larry too.

  After a while Larry came into the house.

  “Molly Duff!” said Larry. “Do you live here?”

  Molly told him how she was riding by and saw the smoke.

  “If you hadn’t reported that when you did,” said Larry, “it would have spread to the car and exploded. But you caught it early. It was a pile of old rags burning in the corner of the garage.”

  “I must have dropped an ash from my pipe when I put my car away,” said the man, whose name was Mr. Harmon. “You saved my car, Molly. And my garage.”

  “And you kept the fire from spreading to nearby houses,” said Larry. “You are a hero. I think the evening news would like to hear about this!”

  Molly couldn’t believe it.

  As Larry drove her home in the fire engine, she remembered something else. A pile of old rags was a fire hazard. She would get her badge!

  “You found a fire hazard, all right,” Carol said.

  “And I wasn’t even looking for it,” said Molly.

  The TV Pee Wee

  Molly told her parents and grandparents about the fire.

  Then she called her friends. “I’ll be able to get my fire safety badge!” she told Tracy. She called Mary Beth and said the same thing over again.

  As soon as she hung up, the phone rang. It was Channel Five News. “We would like to have your daughter on our news show,” said the reporter to Mr. Duff. “Could she be here at five o’clock?”