Peter Rabbit – By Beatrix Potter
This
is a short story about a little rabbit named Peter and his adventure on Mr.
McGregor’s farm.
Peter Rabbit – By Beatrix Potter
A
long time ago there lived four little rabbits with their mother in a sandbank
underneath the root of a very big fir tree. Their names were: Flopsy, Mopsy,
Cottontail, and Peter.
One
day, their mother, Mrs. Rabbit said to them, “my dears, you may go into the
fields or down the lane, but never g into Mr. McGregor’s farm. You all know
what happened to your father there, he had an accident and Mrs. McGregor had to
put him in her pie. I know you do not want that for yourselves. So, stay off
his farm.”
“You
can leave whenever you are ready, but don’t get into any mischief. I am going
out.”
Mrs.
Rabbit then took her umbrella and went to the baker’s shop to get some loaves
of brown bread and five currant buns.
Flopsy,
Mopsy, and Cottontail obeyed the warnings of their mother and went down the
lane to gather some blackberries.
Peter
on the other was very naughty. When everyone had left the house, he ran
straight to Mr. McGregor’s farm. He squeezed himself through the gates and soon
he was inside the farm. First, he ate some lettuces and some French beans, and
then some radishes. Feeling a little sick from eating all of that, he went to
look for some parsley. Just as he went through the cucumber frames, he met Mr.
McGregor right at the end of the frame.
Mr.
McGregor was on his knees planting some young cabbages. Immediately he saw
Peter, he ran after him with a rake, waving it in the air and shouting, “stop
there, you little thief.”
Peter
ran for his life; he was frightened to the teeth. He was all over the garden, for
he has forgotten the way to the gate as he was so frightened to think properly.
As
he ran, he lost one of his shoes among the cabbages and the other among the
potatoes. As he lost both shoes, he ran on four legs and went faster. He would
have escaped if it had not been the gooseberry net that caught him by the large
button on his jacket. It was quite a new jacket that his mother had just
bought. It was a blue jacket with brass buttons.
Peter
already gave up and prepared for the worst when he realized he wasn't getting
out of the farm. He cried and wished he had listened to his mother. Soon, his
sobs got some friendly sparrows nearby, who flew to him and encouraged him to
exert himself.
Mr.
McGregor came rushing with a sieve, with which he intends to pop upon the top
of peter. But before he arrived, Peter wriggled his way out of the gooseberry
leaving his jacket behind. Peter ran into the toolshed and jumped into a can,
but it had so much water in it that Peter felt he was going to drown.
Mr.
McGregor was quite certain that Peter was still around somewhere, so he went to
the toolshed. “Perhaps he is hiding somewhere in one of these pots,” said
McGregor. He started turning over the pots carefully, each time looking under
to see if he would see Peter.
Peter
could not stop himself from sneezing because of the cold water in the can. When
Mr. McGregor heard his sneeze, he pounced on the can, but Peter ran out before
he could reach it. Peter ran through a small window in the toolshed and was out
on the farm again. Mr. McGregor could not go after him through the same window
because it was too small for him to go through. He soon got tired of going
after peter and went back to work.
Peter
sat down to rest after a long run and was out of sight. He had not the least
idea on how to get out of the farm, he was trembling with fear and was so damp.
After
resting for a while, he began to wander around, going lippity- lippity- not
very fast as before. He kept looking behind his shoulders to be sure he was not
followed. Soon, he came to a door in a wall, but it was locked and there was no
possible way a fat little rabbit could go through it.
An
old mouse was running in and out over the stone doorstep, carrying some peas
and beans to her family living in the woods. Peter went up to her and asked if
she knew the way to the gate. She could not answer peter because she had so
many peas in her mouth, she only shook her head at him. This reaction made
Peter even sadder that he began to cry.
He
tried to find his way straight across the farm, but he became more and more
puzzled. After so much effort finding his way, he came to a pond where Mr.
McGregor usually filled his water cans. There he met a white cat staring at
some goldfish, she sat very still as if she was a statue except for her tail
which twitched occasionally to show it was alive. Peter thought it was best to
leave her to her hunt without speaking to her, he had heard some funny stories
about cats from his little Bunny cousin, Benjamin.
He
went towards the toolshed, but suddenly, very close to him, he heard the noise
of a hoe scratching the earth's surface. Peter ran and hid underneath the
bushes. After some time when nothing happened, he came out and climbed upon a
wheelbarrow, and peeped over. First, he saw Mr. McGregor hoeing some onions,
his back was turned towards Peter, and just beyond him was the gate.
Peter
got down from the wheelbarrow and started running as fast as he could go,
behind some black currant bushes. Although Mr. McGregor caught sight of him, he
just was not in the mood for another chase. Soon, Peter was out of the farm and
safe in the woods.
Mr.
McGregor hung up Peter’s Jacket as a scarecrow on his farm to scare off birds.
Peter
never stopped running even while he was out of the farm. He kept running until
he came to the big fir tree. When he entered the rabbit hole, he fell on the
nice soft sand on the floor. He was feeling so well, but it was better than
running on Mr. McGregor’s farm. His mother was cooking when he arrived, so she
quickly prepared some chamomile tea for Peter. She wondered what might have
happened to him and why he was without his jackets. It was the second jacket
and pair of shoes Peter had lost in a fortnight.
Flopsy,
Mopsy, and Cottontail had bread, milk, and blackberries for supper that evening,
while Peter took his chamomile tea and fell into a deep sleep.
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