A Hot Day

Tommy was hot and tired from riding his bike. He ran into the house calling, "Mom, please may I have some lemonade?"

Mother handed him a glass of cold water: "I'm sorry," she said, "I don't have any lemonade. I will buy some when I go shopping this afternoon."

Tommy looked disappointed. "Then can I buy a bottle of pop?" he asked.

"No, Dear," his mother said. "You know we don't like for you to drink too much pop. We try to take care of the bodies God gave us by eating and drinking healthful things.

"All right, Mom," Tommy said. He drank the water and said, "I think I'll go to the park if it's all right."

Mother smiled and nodded.

Tommy ran outside and down the street. When he got to the park, he saw Ronnie, a boy from his class at school. Ronnie called, "Hi. Come and swing with me."

The two boys played on the swings for a while. They took turns going down the big slide. They played on the seesaw.

Soon Tommy and Ronnie were hot and tired. They sat down in the shade of a big tree.

"I want a bottle of pop," Ronnie said.

"There's a water fountain across the park," Tommy said.

"I don't want water," Ronnie said. "I have an idea."

Ronnie walked toward the gas station across the street.

Tommy called, "Why are you going over there?"

"You'll see," said Ronnie. "Come on."

When they got to the gas station, Ronnie whispered, "You're thirsty, aren't you? Well, watch how I'll get us a bottle of pop."

"Do you have money?" Tommy asked.

Ronnie shook his head. He went up to the pop machine and banged on it. After two or three bangs he went to the door of the gas station. "Mr. Bell," Ronnie called. "Your pop machine is out of order. I put money in but nothing came out."

Mr. Bell looked at Ronnie. "Are you sure you put money in the machine?" he asked.

"Sure," Ronnie said. "Didn't I, Tommy?"

Tommy wished he had never come to the gas station with Ronnie. Be he would not tell a lie. "No, you didn't," he said. "You told me you didn't have any money."

When Tommy got home, he told his mother what had happened at the gas station. "Ronnie was trying to steal that pop, wasn't he?" he said.

I'm afraid so," his mother said. "He was doing two wrong things. God told us not to lie and not to steal."

Tommy was very glad he had not broken God's commandments. "Please give me a glass of cold water, Mom," he said. "Water tastes better than anything else on a hot day."

From "Story Mates", Vol. 27, August 25, 1996
A Bible-centered paper for Preschool/Primary boys and girls.
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This material was typed in by Dick Sullivan. Thanks a lot, Dick!