The Tale of Mark the Bunny | Page 5

even himself when
he figured out that they needed to tunnel under a big tree that had fallen
across the old riverbed instead of going around it or trying to move it.
"That way," he said, "when the water goes under it, we can use it to get
to the other side."
Three weeks from the day they first broke ground, the ditch was almost
finished. Sophie and Lenny together broke through at the downstream
end, where the little river would eventually join back with the big one.
All that was left was to break through the wall at the upstream end and
let the water in.
*
The entire village gathered at the river, ready to celebrate, including old
Albertus, who had found another hill where he could look down on
them. Even the Reverend Billy was there, trying to 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