|
 Tears ran down Rodney’s cheeks.
"Nobody likes me," he cried. He pulled his knees closer to his chest and
rocked back and forth. "I’m going to stay in this tree all day long. I
know nobody will miss me."
Rodney thought about what had
happened earlier that day. He’d been sitting under the tree, enjoying the
shade and playing with his marbles. He loved his marbles. He had many
different types, such as agates, alleys, commies, bumboozers, and
crystals. Some were blue, some were red, and some were cat-eyes. He liked
to hold each one up and look at it in the sunlight.
Billy and Willy had come walking by.
"Look at Rodney playing with his bag of marbles." They teased him and made
fun of him. Willy reached down and picked up a handful of Rodney’s
favorite cat-eyes. "Lose your marbles, Rodney?"
Rodney jumped up. "Give them back.
Those are my cat-eyes." While Rodney chased Willy around the tree, Billy
grabbed the rest of his marbles and ran away. Willy ran away too, leaving
Rodney at the tree with no more marbles.
Rodney had climbed to the top of the
tree and sat on a branch. He was still sitting there hours later. "They
took my marbles. Why does everybody tease me?"
"Rodney?" a voice called. Rodney
looked down. Willy and Billy were there and so was their mum. "Rodney,
Willy and Billy have something for you," she called.
Rodney climbed down the tree. "Sorry
that we stole your marbles. Here," Billy said, putting the bag in Rodney’s
hand. "They’re all there."
"Willy? Don’t you have something to
say to Rodney?" his mum asked.
Willy scowled and then said,
"Rodney, Billy and I want you to come to our birthday party tomorrow."
"That’s right, Rodney. The twins
really want you to come. I’d leave your bag of marbles at home though,
just in case they get lost," Willy and Billy’s mum said.
After they left Rodney began to
smile. He’d been invited to a birthday party. He knew just the thing to
give Willy and Billy. The next day at the party when they opened their
gifts, both were surprised to see a bag or marbles for each of them.
"Thank you, Rodney," Willy said.
"Thanks, Rodney," Billy said. "Will
you tell us about these marbles?"
Rodney was happy. Billy and Willy
were excited to learn what a cat-eye and agate was. They never teased
Rodney again. Instead, they brought their marbles and came to sit with him
under the tree. |
