"Geez!" Vobble threw his book down in disgust. "This has to be the most boring book I've ever read."


Vinky picked it up and read the cover. "'A Manual for Writers' by Kate L. Turabian. Vobble? Why on earth would you be reading THIS??"


Vobble looked up and said, "Well, I saw on the calendar a few weeks ago that it was National Story Telling day and I got to thinking about all the adventures we have and how nobody knows about them at all since there's nobody around to write them down and how it might be fun to learn how to write stories so we could share our adventures with everyone and how other folks might want to read them and how we could maybe get rich writing stories and then I thought about how I don't know how to be a good writer and then I though how maybe I could learn to write and so I found this book that is a manual for writers and I thought if I read it it would make me a good writer but the book is boring and I can't get through it so I'll never be a good writer and so no one will ever hear our stories and we'll never get rich and . . . "


"VOBBLE!! Come up for air! Take a breath! I think telling our stories is a great idea and I'll never be opposed to getting rich, but I'm not sure this book is the best way to go about it. Let me think, there's got to be a better way. Hmmmmm . . . "


"Let's see, we could . . . "


Vinky said, as she scratched her head with a talon. "Well," she said, "we could ask the dude of course, but we always go to him first. Let's think of what we can do ourselves."


Vobble agreed and said, "Hey! I've got an idea! Why don't we practice telling our storeis to someone who will listen…like the Tauntzlets! They love stories!"


Vinky agreed and off they went…


When they arrived at Tauntz's home they knocked on the door but nobody answered. Staring at each other and about to fly off they suddenly heard some giggles from a nearby bush.


"Who is that? Whooo Whoooo?" asked Vinky and Vobble. And out popped all the tauntzlets who gathered at their feet and yelled…


"It's me, Hoppy!"


"It's me, Hippity!"


"It's me Happy!"


"It's me!"


"It's me!"


"It's me!"


"It's me!"


All the tauntzeletts spoke at once. "Why are you here?"


Vobble smiled his beaky smile, glad to have such an audience, "We are here to tell you a magnificent story!"


"Oh boy! Oh boy! Oh boy!" The baby bunnies were excited.


"But we can't listen to a story without munchies."


"I want popcorn," said Hoppy.


"I want cookies," said Hippity.


"I want carrots," said Happy.


"CARROTS???" The other bunnies glared at Happy. "Carrots are NOT for story listening."


"Okay. Okay…I want chocolate, then."


As everyone knows, Tauntz and his family were Easter bunnies and chocolate was an all-time favorite with them. All the little Tauntzlets started bouncing up and down enthusiastically.



Vinky stretched out a wing to fend off a flying bunny. "All right, all right!" she hooted. "We can have a hot chocolate, cookies, and storytelling party."


"But that sounds like something we should invite everyone to!" She turned her head this way and that. "Tauntzlets, can we borrow some paper for invitations?"


Within 30 minutes, many little rabbits were hopping around the neighborhood with beautifully decorated invitations to deliver.


They read "Come to our storytelling party! Today at 3, at Vinky and Vobble's owlbox!"


Hippity said, "OK, Hoppy and Happy, you guys take these invites around to everybody."


Hippity passed off the delivery job because she had a special extra plan for the story-telling party!


What Hippity had in mind was to…


invite more than just the neighbors. Wouldn't it be exciting to invite the local TV station?


With cell phone in hand, Hippity sneaked behind a bush and made the call. The station said they'd send a cameraperson right away. Hippity returned to the group eager to see how surprised everyone would be. Then…


When Hippity gave the good news to Vinky and Vobble that KOWL-TV2 would be coming to Story Time the reaction wasn't what he expected.


"GULP," went both Vinky and Vobble at the news. "The TV news will be here? today? GULP," they went again. "What can we do?"


"Now, Now Now," cried all the Tauntzelets. "Being one of over 240 bunnies we do public speaking every day of our little fuzzy lives. First you have to speak up really loudly to be heard. If that doesn't work you have wave your paws in the air. And if that doesn't work you have to jump on your sister or brother's backs. And then take a deep breath and yell at the top of your lungs, "I WANT FOOD AND I WANT IT NOW!!! HEAR ME!!!"


"Gee thanks, Tauntzelettes" said Vinky. Vobble held back a giggle as he saw how serious they were.


Soon all their friends and neighbors were gathering on the lawn waiting for the stories to begin. Just then there was a knock on the owl box door and…


the camera crew leader yelled, "Action!" Poor Vobble's knees were knocking so hard he could barely stand up.


Happy realized that Vobs was nearly in tears, and hopped into action.


He gave Vobs a nudge and whispered "we've got this buddy." He then cleared his throat and began "Once upon a time…"


Happy told a quick story about him and his brothers. Then Vobble stepped up and cleared his throat and said, "Once there we two little owlets who had many adventures…


After that there was no stopping him and Vinky. They were just full of stories about all their fun. They didnt even notice when CC pulled up in a truck full of fun treats. She had alphabet cookies and a cake shaped like a book and all kinds of other stuff. Everyone was having a great time when…


Vobble suddenly plunked down with a sigh. "What's wrong, Vobble?" Zorro asked though a mouthful of cookie.


"I don't know," Vobble answered. "I'm having a lot of fun but I still want to write our stories down, and telling them out loud isn't the same thing."


Zorro nodded. "I know what you mean! Telling stories takes much less time. I've been meaning to write the next great American novel for ages but never gotten round to it."


Vobble perked up. "I know! Vinky and I can help you write, and you can help us write! There's no way this can possibly go wrong."


The director of the KOWL crew said, "Wait a second, I have an idea! We have captured so many of your wonderful stories on our recording equipment. We can get a transcriptionist to get the stories down in writing!"


Vinky and Vobble said "Wow, could you really do that?" And don't forget to include the bunnies' stories too, please"


Then the director said, "And if you think of more stories and would really like to write them done yourselves, I have another idea for you. There are great writing courses at the community college. You get good instrucion and tips, and other members of the class to try your stories out on."


"Wow!" said Vobble. "I didn't know that! It sounds like a lot of fun."


"I'd like that too," said Vinky. "And we could even…


Zorro interrupted, looking at the director and the owlets like they'd grown horns or another set of arms or something. "School? You two?? With two-leggers??? Are you kidding???? Uh-uh. No way. That's crazy talk!"


Vinky looked at Zorro and frowned. "Well, it's worth a try. You never know. We might fit right in and be good at it."


Vobble was a little down. The school idea had sounded like fun, but now Zorro made it seem silly or scary. There just had to be a way to make it all work.


Vobble and Vinky thought and thought. They were sure there had to be a good way to get their stories written. They did okay telling the stories, but they realized that it just wasn't the same. The transcription and school ideas were good, but even they weren't quite right. Something was missing.


If only there was somebody out there who knew all about them and liked to write stories. If only they knew someone who liked to draw pictures of little owls and other animals. If only they knew someone who liked to read stories to other folks and make them come to life.


If only…


The End