The basket ride

Ribbit

One day Ribbit the rabbit and his cousin Ben were out in the green meadow looking for carrots, when they stumbled upon a huge basket."WOW, said Ribbit.  It sure is big! I wonder what it is doing in the green forest?"

"I don't know Ribbit, we better leave it alone."  No sooner had Ben responded when he saw Reddy the Fox hiding behind the big oak tree. "Ribbit, don't look now, but Reddy is behind the oak tree"

Cousin Ben

"Hey, Ben, jump into the basket quick. We can hide until Reddy leaves us alone." Reddy did not see the two bunnies jump into the basket.  Wondering where they went, he gave up waiting and went back to his den.

Peering over the top of the basket, Ribbit and Ben could see that Reddy had left.  He wasn't around, so the two bunnies felt quite confident and safe in the basket.

Ribbit found a long rope hanging down inside the basket and started to pull it. Before the two bunnies knew it, they were going up, up up into the air.  They didn't  recognize that a balloon was attached to the basket until it was too late.

"Oh my jumping beans," loudly exclaimed Ribbit.  "We are up in a helium balloon"

"What are we going to do Ribbit.  We are in trouble.  I don't know anything about a  balloon"

"Don't worry Ben.  I will get us down.  Let's just enjoy the ride.  It is a beautiful day" The two bunnies floated around for an hour before they noticed that it was getting dark and that they had better quickly find a way down!  Ribbit noticed a pole laying on it's side on the bottom of the basket with a very sharp point at the end.

"Hey Ben, would you help me with this pole?  I think I can poke a hole in the balloon and then we will come down faster." The two bunnies tried to poke a hole in the balloon.  It wasn't very easy.  It took both their strengths to force the point of the pole into the balloon and then.....the helium came rushing out faster and faster.

"Ribbit, it is too fast!  slow it down!

Ready the fox

"I can't Ben.  We are on the way down and I don't know where we are going to land." What the bunnies didn't know was that the balloon was going to land on top of the trees in the BLACK FOREST where all the gray, red, and white foxes lived. They had been warned many times about the Black Forest. It was a very dangerous forest for bunnies. As the balloon came down, Ribbit and Ben noticed that the foxes were gathering together for some kind of trouble.

"Oh Ben, don't look now but I think that we are landing in the Black forest.  It is a good thing that foxes don't eat carrots.  They cannot see us in the dark.  We eat our carrots and they don't.  We better stay right in the basket for the night."

"I'm scared Ribbit.  We never should have been so curious about the basket. What are you going to do?"

"Sleep Ben.  We are going to sleep and decide in the morning."  The two little bunnies snuggle down and tried to sleep.  In the morning they decided to get out of the basket, climb down the tree and try to find their way home to the Green Forest.  They didn't travel too far when a gray fox spotted them.

"Don't look now Ribbit, but I think someone is following us."  This was not good news. Before they knew it a whole pack of foxes were spying them out.

Just as they were thinking there had no hope to survive, from behind them a huge dark shadow swooped down, picked both bunnies up in its claw and fly out of the Black Forest. What could it be?  Who could it be?

Mr. Owl to the rescue!!!

Before Ribbit and Ben knew it they were back safely in the Green Forest. It was  Mr. Owl, who was aware of the grievous situation and acted quickly to save the bunnies' lives.

"Oh, Mr.Owl.  We can't thank you enough for saving our lives. If there is ever anything we can do for you, please let us know." I don't think we will ever see ribbit and Ben in a hot air balloon again.  What do you think?