The Tale of Mark the Bunny | Page 5

look stern and disapproving.
Though there still hadn't been any rain in the bunnies' village, it had been raining upstream. The river was full of water and running very, very fast.
"You know," Sophie said, "We could have a problem here."
"What do you mean?" Lenny asked. "C'mon, c'mon, we've been working on this forever. Bunnies aren't very patient, you know. Let's finish this!"
"I'm afraid--"
"Bunnies are always afraid," Lenny said. "But sometimes--"
"No," Sophie said. "This is different. When we dig through that last wall of dirt, the whole river is going to rush right into our new hole. Whoever does it could get really, really hurt."
"Oh," Lenny said. "Do you think?"
They all stood and looked at the river, which no longer seemed peaceful, but seemed a little angry. Then they looked at Sophie's ditch. Then they looked at the river again.
"I'll do it," Lenny said.
"Lenny, no," Sophie said. "I won't let you."
"Somebody's got to do it," Lenny said. "It might as well be me."
"No," said a deep voice behind them. "It has to be me."
They all turned. "You?" Lenny said.
"Me," Albertus said.
"But...but...that doesn't make any sense," Sophie said. "You're rich."
"I used to be," Albertus said.
The others gathered around to listen. "What happened?" Maria asked.
"Back in February, when I went down to look at all my lovely food, it was gone."
"Gone?" Jonathan said.
"Mice," Albertus said. "They tunneled into my vault, between the big rocks, and they took everything. And because my land is so high up, the drought hurt me worse than anyone else."
"Why didn't you tell us?" Sophie asked.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Reverend Billy asked. He seemed more upset than Albertus was.
"I know you don't like me," Albertus said. "I know what you all call me behind my back. 'Albert Doo-Doo head.'"
"Um, actually, nobody's ever called you that," Ralph said.
"Really?"
"Really. 'Big Al,' that's what everybody calls you."
"'Big Al' isn't so bad," Albertus said thoughtfully. "Anyway, I've been hearing all these ideas going around, all this, 'give what you can, take what you can get away with--'"
"'Take what you need,'" Lenny said. "There's a difference."
"Whatever. At first I thought I would come sit on one of you until you gave me some food. But none of you has any food either. That was when it hit me: I'm the same as anybody else now."
"Wow," Maria said.
"I'm not exactly happy about it," Albertus said. "I stayed in my burrow and sulked for a long time. But after a while I would come out here and watch all of you digging. It looked like fun, but I didn't know how to, well, to ask to join in."
"I guess you just did," Sophie said. "Frankly, I think you have a lot to make up for, but if I understand what Mark taught us, once you're willing to give what you can, you're in."
"Thank you," Albertus said. "I mean that."
"I hope you meant what you said about digging through to the river," Lenny said.
"I did," Albertus said, "and I do."
With that he hopped into the hole and began to dig. Soon his paws were damp and muddy, and very slowly water began to seep into the ditch.
"Oh my," Sophie said. "Oh my. This might actually work."
"Are you just now figuring that out?" Lenny said.
Albertus kept digging. Dirty water splashed his beautiful white coat until he was almost as brown as Lenny, and his powerful forepaws sent mud and rocks flying out of the hole.
Jonathan began to hop up and down in one place. "Look out!" he said. "Look out! It's coming!"
With a roar the water broke through the wall, and it swept Albertus away with it. The last they saw of him before he disappeared around a bend in the brand new river was one massive paw raised in farewell.
*
"Oh no!" Sophie cried, and she began to run after Albertus. So did all the other bunnies, but the new river was much, much faster than they were and they couldn't begin to catch up.
The bunnies, all of whom had been working very hard for many days, simply ran out of strength before they even got to the village. Sophie dropped to the ground panting, and Lenny fell down beside her.
"I didn't want this to happen," she said. "I was mad at him because he never wanted to share his food, but I didn't want this. It's all my fault."
"What's all your fault?" asked a deep voice.
All the bunnies looked up from where they were sprawled on the dry grass.
"Albertus!" Sophie said. "Are you all right?"
"Apparently someone left a tree across the new river," Albertus said. "I was able to hold on and pull myself out."
"That was little Ralph," Lenny said proudly.
Albertus nodded at him grandly. "Thank you, young bunny," he said. "If you wish, you may call me 'Big Al.'"
*
The bunnies wanted to call it "Sophie's River,"