Author: Eugenia Glăvan
“In the forest over the hill, there wasn’t a living thing that hadn’t heard of Joben the bunny.
Everyone loved him for his kindness and cheerfulness! Joben was special: he was bouncy, gentle and always had a kind word for someone who was troubled!
You may be wondering why he called him Joben? Because he used to tell everyone that he had been put out of his job by a magician, as if by magic!
This is how poor Joben explained the fact that he had no parents… Unfortunately, his parents were no more… They had fallen into a poacher’s trap when Joben was too young to remember them…
The hedgehog Trăncănici had raised him with a lot of love and care, and the hedgehog Picătură had been like a brother to him.
By the way, all the animals in the forest took care of Joben: the mouse Mimi, whenever she made a good pie, brought him a slice, the squirrel Zizi always picked tasty hazelnuts for him, and the seer Sparrow never forgot to bring him some sweet carrots , when he was passing by the forester’s garden.
But, there were days when our bunny felt lonely and nobody’s… Despite everyone surrounding him with their attention, sometimes Joben wished he had his parents by his side…
On the eve of Saint Nicholas, the poor bunny was very sad! He could see how all his other friends were standing next to their parents, how they were hugging and kissing them on their heads, and he was alone…
With his ears flapped, Joben closed his eyes, imagining his mother hugging him to her chest and his father holding him by the shoulders and telling him unheard of adventures… how they all sit in front of the stove, in the heat, drinking hot tea and munching ripe chestnuts.
But in Joben’s lair, it was quiet, and he was alone, the only one…
It was also quiet in the entire forest over the hill. Everyone was at home, eagerly waiting for Saint Nicholas.
Suddenly, Joben heard some loud knocks on the door of the den, which woke him up from his dream!
Who could be there at that time???
When he opened it, the bunny was speechless: in front of the door were all his friends – Picătură the hedgehog, Gălușca the raccoon, Dunguliță the beaver, Suriul the wolf, Chichiriț the mouse, Carbunel the crow and many, many others!
They all had many gifts and many platters of goodies in their arms!
– Hey, Joben! Don’t say you already went to bed! said the hedgehog Drop. It’s the perfect night for a sleepover! We have a lot to talk about until tomorrow morning!
What joy was on our bunny!
It was an unforgettable evening! They all huddled around the fire, ate popcorn, and told stories late into the night until they finally fell asleep.
When they woke up, they each found a pile of delicious sweets by the snowshoes!
Saint Nicholas had come tiptil and left them the gifts!
Excited and eager, they all started to open the bags of goodies!
Our bunny was happy! He no longer felt alone! Now he understood that family is where you are loved and surrounded by loved ones!”
Author Gina Glavan
