Bunny Fred and the Bad Jokes

Bunny Fred was always full of energy and loved to joke around. But his jokes were not the good, funny kind—they were the type that hurt others or made them feel embarrassed. Fred didn’t realize that joking at the expense of others was not really funny at all.

One sunny morning, Fred saw Old Beaver walking slowly with a stick, heading to the river to collect branches for his dam. Fred smirked and thought, “I will play a trick on him!” He quickly dug a deep hole in the ground and covered it with leaves and twigs. Then he hid behind a tree and shouted loudly:

“Help! Someone, please help me!”

Old Beaver dropped his stick and rushed over with all his strength. But the moment he stepped forward, he fell right into the hole with a loud thump!

Fred came out from behind the tree, laughing so hard that he almost fell over.

Old Beaver looked up at him sadly and said, “Fred, is this funny to you? I only wanted to help.”

Fred wiped his tears of laughter and said, “Isn’t it the best joke ever?”

Old Beaver shook his head. “Fred, this is a bad joke. It hurt me.”

But Fred didn’t listen.

The next day, Fred saw Bear sitting under a tree, munching on honey. Fred ran up and said, “Bear! Bear! The little squirrel fell into the river while jumping between branches!”

Bear’s eyes widened, and he ran as fast as he could to the river. He looked around, but there was no squirrel. He turned back, panting, and found Fred giggling behind a bush.

“Ha! You should have seen your face, Bear!” Fred said between giggles. “How was my joke?”

Bear frowned, “Fred, that’s not a joke. That’s a lie, and it’s not funny.”

But Fred only shrugged and skipped away, thinking he was the funniest bunny in the forest.

Day after day, Fred kept making these kinds of “jokes.” He lied about a fox stuck in a tree, a bird lost in a cave, and a moose trapped in the mud. Every time, the animals would rush to help, only to find nothing, while Fred rolled on the ground laughing.

But the forest animals soon grew tired of Fred’s jokes. They stopped listening when he shouted for help, thinking it was just another trick.

Then, one chilly morning, while Fred was hopping through the forest, humming happily to himself, a shadow fell across his path. Fred looked up and gasped.

Standing there was a wolf with sharp teeth and cold eyes.

“Well, well, what do we have here?” the wolf said, licking his lips.

“Um… hi?” Fred squeaked, trying to smile.

“I’m very hungry today. Would you like to help me with that?” the wolf asked.

“H-help you?” Fred stammered.

“Yes. By becoming my lunch!” the wolf growled and lunged at Fred.

Fred screamed, “Help! Help me, please!” as he ran as fast as his paws could carry him.

He ran past the old beaver’s dam, past the bear’s cave, and past the squirrels’ tree, shouting for help. But no one came. They all heard Fred’s cries and shook their heads, thinking, “It’s just another one of his bad jokes.”

Fred ran and ran, but the wolf was too fast. And that day, because no one believed Fred anymore, the wolf caught him.

And that was the end of Bunny Fred.

Moral:
When you lie for fun, people stop believing you—even when you tell the truth.