The rabbit Kevin loved being up at night. He lived on a green hill next to a small forest. When the moon rose, he settled into his cozy burrow in a hollow tree, opened his favorite book, and read by the light of the stars. He loved listening to the owls hoot and the crickets sing.
The stories in his book were about friends going on adventures together, and sometimes he wondered what that would be like.
“It would be fun to have a friend,” he thought. But he never saw any other rabbits on the hill. He just read his book and dreamed of playing.
One night, Kevin was reading his book as usual when something bright and sparkling landed next to him with a hissing sound. And then more landed… and more!
“What’s happening?” exclaimed Kevin. He looked up and saw that some of the brightest stars had fallen from the sky. He watched as the stars began to gather and take the shape of a rabbit.
“Hi,” said the star rabbit. “Shall we play?”
Kevin hopped out of his burrow. “I’d love to!” he replied. The two rabbits played all the games they could think of. They ran around and dug holes. They jumped and hopped and giggled. They ate all the carrots Kevin had in his burrow.
“I didn’t know how much fun it is to have a friend,” said Kevin. “What should we play now?”
“Hide and seek,” said the star rabbit with twinkling eyes. “I’ll hide.”
Kevin closed his eyes and counted to ten. When he opened them again, the star rabbit was gone. “Here I come!” shouted Kevin. He searched in the tall grass, behind tree trunks, and in hollow trees, but there was no star rabbit.
Then he remembered his own burrow. He looked inside and spotted a white, fluffy tail. “Found you!” he shouted excitedly.
The rabbit quickly jumped out of the burrow, but it wasn’t the star rabbit. It was a white rabbit, and she was trembling. “I’m lost, and I need a place to rest,” said the white rabbit. “My name is Sylvia.”
“Do you want to play hide and seek and meet my friend, the star rabbit?” asked Kevin. “I love hide and seek,” smiled Sylvia. “And I’ve already met your friend. He showed me the way to your burrow.”
She pointed up at the sky, and Kevin gasped. The star rabbit had gone back to where it came from. You could see a giant rabbit twinkling in the sky.
Kevin lay down in the grass on the hill, and Sylvia lay next to him. He told Sylvia about all the games and adventures he had with the star rabbit. And as he lay there looking up at the night sky, the star rabbit winked mischievously at him.
“I hope you’ll stay,” said Kevin. “Now I know how much fun it is to have a friend to play with.”
Sylvia nodded. “I’ve been looking for a friend too,” she said. “I’d love to stay.”
