Keiko’s Pony Rescue
Henhouse Helpers
The next morning, all the girls wake up early, except Keiko. Keiko buries her head further into her pillow as her friends get dressed. How is she going to tell everyone she hadn’t won the contest? But when Aunt Yumi comes in and sits on the edge of the bed, Keiko peeks out. Aunt Yumi asks if Keiko is feeling okay.
Keiko doesn’t want to worry her aunt, so she begins to climb out of bed, saying she’s just tired from sketching too late last night. Aunt Yumi smiles. That’s good, because Keiko has an important job today. And, she should bring her sketchbook.
Keiko reluctantly changes out of her pajamas and grabs her sketchbook, thinking of how she can tell her friends the bad news. But when she arrives at the chicken coop, her friends are all already there, holding empty baskets. Sofia asks if she was up late drawing. Keiko quickly replies, and then changes the subject. She’s not ready to talk about the art contest yet.
Aunt Yumi is still prepping for their important job, so the girls theorize what it could be. Maybe they’ll fill baskets to take vegetables to Marigold. Then, Aunt Yumi sticks her head out of the chicken coop. She says they will go see Marigold today, but first, they have to do their chores.
The girls all head inside, where they’re greeted by a chorus of clucking and ruffling feathers. Keiko sees a row of nests with a plump, squawking brown chicken perched on top. Aunt Yumi says they’ll be gathering the hens’ eggs today. She reaches under the nearest hen and pulls out a perfect oval egg. The hens are used to having their eggs taken, so as long as the girls are gentle, they won’t mind. But, the girls aren’t allowed to take any eggs from the nest at the end of the row. Those eggs are going to hatch soon!
Madison claps her hands. Baby chicks are on the way! Then, Aunt Yumi leaves the girls to their task. Jasmine places eggs in her basket, ogling at how beautiful they are. Keiko looks down at the six delicate eggs she collected. They’re not all the same color like the eggs her parents buy at the store. Some are white, but others are tan, brown, or almost blue. They look perfect against the lining of the basket. Jasmine grins. Keiko is already thinking about how she’d draw them.
Keiko’s head turns. How did her friend know that? Sofia encourages her to leave the egg collecting to them while she starts drawing. Keiko reaches for her sketchbook out of habit, but then she remembers the email from last night. If she starts to draw, her friends might ask about the contest. So instead, she shakes her head, and goes back to collecting eggs.
Keiko says the faster they’re done with their chore, the faster they get to meet Marigold. It’s a tiny white lie, and Jasmine gives Keiko a strange look, as if she knows something is wrong. But Madison and Sofia are none-the-wiser. So Keiko lowers her head, and focuses on her work. Maybe if she puts her heart into the chores and animals, the heavy feeling in her heart will go away.