Jasper the Lion could hear their laughter even from a distance. Susan the Zebra and Richard the Meerkat playfully raced through the dry grass, kicking up dust and sand. When they were completely out of breath, they ran over to the shady spot where Jasper was sitting.
“Hey Jasper! Come play with us!” said Susan.
“What’s the matter, Jasper?” Richard asked, noticing Jasper’s mood. “What were you thinking about?”
Jasper didn’t really know what he had just been thinking about.
“Just keep playing without me,” he mumbled.
Susan and Richard looked at each other.
“But Jasper, you’re going to miss the whole day if you keep this up,” said Susan. “Can we help ? Maybe the three of us could think about it together.”
But Jasper didn’t want to accept their help.
“Friends always stick together!” said Richard. “And if you don’t tell us what’s on your mind, we’ll tickle you until you do!”
Susan and Richard giggled at the idea of tickling Jasper’s tummy.
“All right! I’ll tell you,” said Jasper before they could tickle him. “There was an accident yesterday when I was visiting my grandmother. I was playing chase with my little cousin and I was about to finally catch him when I tripped over a tree root and fell into the table. I heard a terrible crash. When I turned around, I saw Grandma’s favorite teapot lying on the ground in pieces.”
“Was she very mad?” asked Susan, who sympathized with Jasper.
“No, she wasn’t mad at all,” he said. “She told me not to worry about it. But I know how much she loved that teapot.”
Jasper looked even sadder now.
“Enough sulking!” said Richard. “Why don’t we help you to glue the pieces together? Your grandma won’t even notice any difference from before.”
Jasper took out a bag with the pieces of the broken teapot. Richard got glue and a brush, and in no time, the three of them had glued the teapot back together.
“Well, it doesn’t look like new, but I’m sure your grandma will be very happy anyway!” said Susan.
“Let’s go see what she says,” said Jasper. The three of them set off.
They were greeted by Jasper’s grandma at the garden gate.
“Hello, you three!” she said. “Do you want to have a piece of cake with me? I still have a few left over from yesterday. I can offer you juice and water to go with it.”
“I’d love some tea,” said Jasper, “and I have the perfect teapot too!” Jasper beamed as he handed his grandma the repaired teapot.
“You three are the best!” said Grandma. “This teapot is very old. It belonged to my grandmother. Thank you so much for fixing it! Now let’s eat cake!”
Jasper smiled and felt all his worries melt away.
Explore all of ours bedtime stories for kids: Bedtime Stories for Kids
