K
Kate
Guest
The longest five minutes
Mr Robert, the Rooster, had lived in the backyard of number 5 Cherry Lane, for a very long time. He was a very fine rooster with a bright red comb on his head and long red tail feathers.
Every morning at dawn it was his job to wake up and shout loudly Cock-a-doodle-do! But now he was quite old and found it very hard to wake up so early. The people in Cherry Lane were getting old too and didn’t have to wake early to get to work.
“If only I could sleep five minutes longer”, sighed Mr Robert.
So he decided to toddle down to the shopping centre to see what he could find. First he called into George’s fruit and vegetable shop.
“Good morning, Mr Robert”, said George. “What can I do for you this fine morning?”
“I would like five minutes please, the longest I can buy”, said Mr Robert.
“Sorry, Mr Robert, I have lots of lovely green parsley and sage”, said George shaking his head, “and plenty of big red apples, but I don’t have any time for sale”.
Next Mr Robert tried the butcher shop. “Good morning, Mr Robert", said Bert the butcher. “What can I do for you this fine morning?”
“I would like five minutes please, the longest I can buy”, said Mr Robert.
“Sorry, Mr Robert”, said Bert. “I can sell you five long sausages, but I don’t have any time for sale.”
Next Mr Robert went into the Newsagency. “Good morning, Mr Robert. What can I do for you this fine morning?” said Penny, the pretty young girl at the counter. Penny lived next door to Mr Robert and he liked her very much.
“I would like five minutes please, the longest I can buy”, said Mr Robert.
Penny laughed and shook her yellow ponytail. “Mr Robert, one of the things you can’t buy is time”.
“But I want to sleep for five minutes longer”, Mr Robert cried. “I’m tired of waking at dawn and shouting Cock-a-doodle-do and no one really needs to be woken up any more.”
Penny smiled at him. “Oh yes, they do, Mr Robert. I start work very early in the morning so that people can get their newspapers before breakfast. I need you to shout Cock-a-doodle-do at dawn every morning – but not on Sunday because it's my day off and I like to stay in bed.”
“Well, that’s a different matter then”, said Mr Robert. “If I’m needed I can easily wake up at dawn so that you can get to work on time. But I would really like to sleep in sometimes.”
Penny thought for a moment. “Perhaps I can put up a curtain at your window and on Saturday night you can close the curtain so the sun won’t wake you up early the next day. Sunday can be your day to stay in bed.”
“Would you? Thank you very much, Penny”, said Mr Robert.
So Penny came the next day and put up a beautiful bright blue curtain at his window. Every morning at dawn for six days of the week Mr Robert shouted Cock-a-doodle-do and Penny was always on time for work. But on Saturday night when he went to bed Mr Robert closed the lovely blue curtain so the sun wouldn't wake him him. That way he got his five more minutes in bed. Penny and the other neighbours were happy too because Mr Robert didn’t shout Cock-a-doodle-doo until at least five minutes past dawn every Sunday morning.
Mr Robert, the Rooster, had lived in the backyard of number 5 Cherry Lane, for a very long time. He was a very fine rooster with a bright red comb on his head and long red tail feathers.
Every morning at dawn it was his job to wake up and shout loudly Cock-a-doodle-do! But now he was quite old and found it very hard to wake up so early. The people in Cherry Lane were getting old too and didn’t have to wake early to get to work.
“If only I could sleep five minutes longer”, sighed Mr Robert.
So he decided to toddle down to the shopping centre to see what he could find. First he called into George’s fruit and vegetable shop.
“Good morning, Mr Robert”, said George. “What can I do for you this fine morning?”
“I would like five minutes please, the longest I can buy”, said Mr Robert.
“Sorry, Mr Robert, I have lots of lovely green parsley and sage”, said George shaking his head, “and plenty of big red apples, but I don’t have any time for sale”.
Next Mr Robert tried the butcher shop. “Good morning, Mr Robert", said Bert the butcher. “What can I do for you this fine morning?”
“I would like five minutes please, the longest I can buy”, said Mr Robert.
“Sorry, Mr Robert”, said Bert. “I can sell you five long sausages, but I don’t have any time for sale.”
Next Mr Robert went into the Newsagency. “Good morning, Mr Robert. What can I do for you this fine morning?” said Penny, the pretty young girl at the counter. Penny lived next door to Mr Robert and he liked her very much.
“I would like five minutes please, the longest I can buy”, said Mr Robert.
Penny laughed and shook her yellow ponytail. “Mr Robert, one of the things you can’t buy is time”.
“But I want to sleep for five minutes longer”, Mr Robert cried. “I’m tired of waking at dawn and shouting Cock-a-doodle-do and no one really needs to be woken up any more.”
Penny smiled at him. “Oh yes, they do, Mr Robert. I start work very early in the morning so that people can get their newspapers before breakfast. I need you to shout Cock-a-doodle-do at dawn every morning – but not on Sunday because it's my day off and I like to stay in bed.”
“Well, that’s a different matter then”, said Mr Robert. “If I’m needed I can easily wake up at dawn so that you can get to work on time. But I would really like to sleep in sometimes.”
Penny thought for a moment. “Perhaps I can put up a curtain at your window and on Saturday night you can close the curtain so the sun won’t wake you up early the next day. Sunday can be your day to stay in bed.”
“Would you? Thank you very much, Penny”, said Mr Robert.
So Penny came the next day and put up a beautiful bright blue curtain at his window. Every morning at dawn for six days of the week Mr Robert shouted Cock-a-doodle-do and Penny was always on time for work. But on Saturday night when he went to bed Mr Robert closed the lovely blue curtain so the sun wouldn't wake him him. That way he got his five more minutes in bed. Penny and the other neighbours were happy too because Mr Robert didn’t shout Cock-a-doodle-doo until at least five minutes past dawn every Sunday morning.
