Marty's Big Mistake
by Wes Fessler
Marty mouse was walking home from school one sunny day.
A rock was on the sidewalk, which he kicked along the way.
The rock would bounce and roll until it stopped a bit ahead,
but one time when he kicked it, he forgot to use his head.
He kicked the rock too hard, and sent it flying through the air.
It flew toward a house and that gave Marty quite a scare.
The rock broke through a window with a dreadful crashing sound.
He knew he'd be in trouble if somebody was around.
He felt bad for what happened, but he was too scared to stay.
He didn't know what he should do, so he just ran away.
He ran the whole way home and didn't stop 'till he got there.
He thought that he should tell someone, and yet he didn't dare.
Because he got away with it, he now was free and clear.
Nobody knew he did it. He had no reason to fear.
But something inside Marty's head told him it wasn't right.
He started feeling bad. He couldn't sleep at all that night.
So Marty sat awake in bed, and wondered what to do.
He felt ashamed of what he did, and he was sorry too.
At last he made his mind up, he would go and right the wrong.
He knew it would be scary, but he knew he must be strong.
So Marty told his parents what he did and how he ran.
He told them that he'd like to make things right if he still can.
He said he had no money to repair the broken glass,
but he would try to earn enough by working after class.
Then Marty's parents understood that he made a mistake,
but they were happy with the choice he finally chose to make.
He went back to the house, although he really was afraid.
He said that he was sorry for the big mistake he made.
He told the man who lived there that he'd pay for the repair.
He wanted to do what was right. He wanted to be fair.
The man told Marty he was brave for coming back that day.
He made a bad decision when he chose to run away.
But now that he came back, he showed the good he had inside.
It showed that he had character and didn't need to hide.
They got the window fixed, and Marty worked to pay the bill.
It felt so good to make things right. It gave Marty a thrill.
So Marty learned that even when mistakes give him a fright,
it's best to have the character to try to make things right.