the Golden Egg

It was Easter Sunday. Kind uncle Joe and lazy, greedy aunt Jane were getting ready to hide the Easter eggs Joe had stayed up all night painting while Jane slept. There niece and nephews would be over soon to hunt for them.

Generous uncle Joe said he had $20 he would put in the golden egg, and the child that found it would be very happy indeed.  Jane said, “Oh! Oh! Do be a kind husband and let me hide the golden egg. If you do, I’ll let you hide all the rest.” Uncle Joe said, “Fine, fine,” and he handed his wife the .

golden egg with the $20 inside. Then Jane lay down in a hammock and watched while Joe raced around hiding the rest of the eggs in their big backyard. All the activity made Joe quite tired

Soon the children came to hunt for the eggs. They were excited and laughing. Mark was oldest. His legs were long and strong, and he thought he had a very good chance of finding the most eggs, including the golden one. Phillip was the middle child, and his legs were middling sized; his speed was only average. He did possess a knack for finding colored Easter eggs, however, and he believed that that knack,
coupled with his great desire to find the most eggs, might work to his advantage. Kim was youngest. Her short, chubby legs carried her many places . . . but to none of them quickly. She was the slowest of the three. To find the most eggs, she knew she would have to be shrewd, crafty.

Then the time came for them to hunt their eggs. They took off in a mad dash. Uncle Joe watched them, but aunt Jane was no longer in her hammock.  They found many eggs quickly, but the golden one proved to be elusive. Where could it be?  To trick her brother, Kim told Mark she could see the golden one in the crook of two branches of a pecan tree, and would he be kind enough to fetch it down for her.

Quick as a squirrel, Mark skittered up the pecan tree. It was never clear whether he was trying to get the egg for himself or for his sister. But Kim didn't really see the golden one up there; she had only said that so Mark would climb the tree, allowing her to gather more eggs. Mark kept climbing higher, asking, “These limbs? These?” He was completely fooled.  ”You're too high,” called Kim. “It's between those lower limbs.” When Mark moved lower, Kim went on a mad run and found many eggs. She and Phillip found a cream-filled egg that had fallen from a tree and onto a soft carpet of grass. They were sorry it broke when they wrestled for it. What a mess!

Mark knew that he had been tricked, so he got out of the tree and tore around the yard and found the most eggs. In fact, the three had found all of the eggs . . . all except the golden one with he $20 inside.  Just then greedy, lazy aunt Jane appeared around the corner of the house. On her head she was wearing the new Easter bonnet she had just bought while the others were hunting eggs.

“Wasn't this hat a steal?” she asked. “It only cost me twenty dollars!”

Mark, Phillip, and Kim just groaned. They wished kind uncle Joe had hidden the special egg.