Video transcript: Hello everyone! The sun is shining, and it looks like it’s going to be a beautiful day! I went on another scavenger hunt around my house, and I found this cup that looks like a chalice. So, I’m going to light our chalice. I’ve got a candle here. Alright! There we go. We are Unitarian Universalists. This is the church of the open mind, this is the church of the helping hands, this is the church of the loving heart.

I’ve got another story for you today! Our story this morning is called Hide and Seek by Alisha Berger, with illustrations by Huynh Vu Tuong.

Rhino is very shy. She only plays by herself around the lake. Gecko decides to play a trick on her. He asks all the other animals to join him. “Rhino!” Gecko calls. “Do you want to play hide-and-seek with us? We will decide who hides first with rock-paper-scissors.” The other animals know that Rhino can only make paper with her big feet. So they all make scissors on purpose. Rhino will have to be the seeker.

The animals start looking for places to hide. They ask each other, “Where should we hide so Rhino can’t find us?” Rhino starts counting. “Five… Ten… Fifteen…” When she’s done counting to one hundred, she opens her eyes. “Where is everyone?” she wonders. “How will I find them now?”

Monkey had climbed on top of a tree. Rhino is overjoyed. “Monkey, you have a long tail!” she calls. “I can see it clearly!” Squirrel had hidden in the tree’s trunk. Rhino smiles. “Squirrel, I can see your fluffy tail!” Rabbit is hiding nervously inside a cave. Outside, Hedgehog had covered herself with flowers. Rhino finds them immediately. “Hedgehog and Rabbit! How could you both hide in such obvious places?” Rhino giggles.

Snail is slowly crawling under a leaf. Parrot hides confidently on a tree branch. But his feathers are so bright that finding him is easy. Rhino has found half of the animals! Silly Deer hides among the leafless trees. Giant Bear tries to hide behind the rocks. Rhino laughs out loud. “I can see where you both are hiding!” Turtle hides in her shell, pretending to be a rock. Frog hides among a group of bushes across from her. But Rhino sees them both.

Finally, only Gecko remains. Rhino cannot find him anywhere. The other animals tease, “You will have to look really hard now!” Soon, Rhino has searched for Gecko everywhere. Soon, her feet have worn out! Rhino sits down, trying not to cry. The other animals start to feel badly. “Do you need a hint?” they ask. “No, I don’t need anyone’s help. Gecko might be good at hiding, but I will find him soon!”

At last, Rhino bows down her head and stares into the lake. Suddenly, she cries out, “Gecko! I’ve found you!” Gecko grins. “I hid right on top of your horn! Pretty genius, right?” Rhino laughs. She no longer feels shy. “Now it’s my turn to hide and all of you have to find me. I already know where I’ll hide!” THE END.

Creative Commons Attribution Text: Hide and Seek (English), written by Alisha Berger, illustrated by Huynh Vu Tuong, published by Room to Read (© Room to Read, 2015) under a CC BY 4.0 license on StoryWeaver. Read, create and translate stories for free on www.storyweaver.org.in

When do you feel shy? Can you remember a time that something felt unfair?

I’d love to hear your ideas, and see pictures of the chalices you’re finding around your house. You can ask your adult to help you make a post on the Facebook group, or in the Discord. See you later!