Pell the Magpie Tries Every Job

Pell Tries Every Job

1In the animal town of Fernbrook, everyone had a job. Hedgehog carried the mail from door to door. Beaver fixed leaky roofs. Raccoon cooked soup at the corner café, and Squirrel swept the leaves off Main Street. Every day, the townsfolk thanked them for their good work.

2Pell the Magpie did not have a job. He sat on a fence and listened to all the thank-yous. "If I do every job in town, everyone will thank me," he thought. "Then I will be the most important bird in Fernbrook!"

3The next morning, Pell grabbed Hedgehog's mailbag. He flew so fast that he dropped the letters at all the wrong houses. Then he snatched Beaver's hammer and patched the schoolhouse roof, but he was in such a hurry that he left a hole in the middle. Next, he zoomed to the café to stir Raccoon's soup. When he spotted Squirrel's broom, he dashed off to sweep and forgot all about the pot. He swept so wildly that the leaves blew into every doorway.

4By evening, nobody in Fernbrook was happy. Mrs. Mole had Mr. Toad's letters, and rain dripped onto the desks in the schoolhouse. The soup had boiled over and burned, and leaves covered every doorstep. No one said thank you to Pell.

5Pell sat alone on the fence. Old Owl landed beside him. "A bird who flies in every direction gets nowhere," Owl said softly. "Choose one job, and do it with care."

6Pell thought for a long time. He had sharp eyes, and from the treetops he could see the whole town. So he became Fernbrook's finder. When someone lost a key, a button, or a ball, Pell searched slowly and carefully until he found it. Soon the townsfolk were thanking Pell every day.