“The Bakers are having an Easter egg hunt this afternoon in their backyard and they invited me. May I go?” Fred asked his mother.

“How will you get there?” she asked.

“I’ll walk, it’s on the other side of the woods. It won’t take long,” he said. The Bakers lived about a mile down the road from Fred’s house. Fred was used to walking places alone even as a six-year-old. That’s how he got to school.

“All right, but be back before supper,” his mother said.

After lunch Fred called his dog, Jake, and they soon started off to hunt eggs with a dozen other children. As they walked along the road next to a woods Jake spied a rabbit beside the road. Jake couldn’t restrain himself and took off like a shot after the bunny, which dashed into the woods with Jake following close behind. Fred’s calls to Jake went unanswered and Fred continued on to the Baker’s without Jake.

The Baker’s back yard was a huge one with lots of shrubs, trees, flowers and many places to hide eggs. There was a play area with swings and a slide and even a doghouse. So several children were already assembled when Fred arrived but no sign of Jake. It was a fine spring Saturday afternoon and the children were anxious to get started. Mrs. Baker soon came out with a handful of bags, the kind with loop handles, and passed them out. After a few instructions, she blew a whistle to start the game and the children were off in a flash looking for the hidden eggs.

There were many screams of delight and a few groans as somebody heard a crunching sound under foot, the sound of a broken egg. The hunt went on for an hour or so with boys and girls loudly announcing where they found a brightly colored egg. Fred had seven in his bag before he quit the hunt. Mrs. Baker soon called off the hunt by bringing out ice cream and cake.

“This is good stuff,” said the girl sitting next to Fred, “And just think, we’ll have an Easter feast tomorrow.”

”What are you having? I don’t care what we’re having. I just can’t wait to see what the Easter Bunny leaves for me. Chocolate bunnies I hope. I just love chocolate,” Fred said.

“My daddy said we’re having rabbit stew," the girl said as she finished her last bite of cake and got up to leave.

Fred thanked his hostess and left the party. As he left he decided to take a shortcut through the woods to home. He came to a fork in the trail. He stopped to think of which way to go. He followed his choice for a way but didn’t see anything familiar but he plodded on. After walking farther than the trail home should be he came again to a fork in the trail. Now he was lost and didn’t know how to get back to where he started. He sat down to figure it out. Just when he thought he was lost without hope he heard a sound behind him in the brush. That raised the hair on his neck; but before he could die of fright something cold touched his neck where the hair stood erect. Before he could pick himself up off the ground a familiar warm wet tongue slid across his face.

“Jake! Where have you been? Boy, am I glad to see you. Let’s go home.” Fred got to his feet and followed Jake home. Fred had taken a loop trail at the fork and ended up at the fork where he made the wrong choice.

Safe at home Fred had no appetite for supper. Too much ice cream and cake? His mother noticed a tear in his eye as she tucked him into bed. “Mommy, a girl at the party said they are having Easter Bunny stew for dinner tomorrow,” Fred moaned.

“Maybe so, but they’ll have to catch him first,” said Mommy, “go to sleep now and don’t worry.” He did go to sleep—after worrying for quite a while.

Easter morning came and Fred awoke sooner than anyone else. When Mommy finally came out to make some coffee the first thing she noticed was a half-eaten chocolate bunny.