Skipwell

In the hiding game, nobody else can do that. Bears move one step. Wolves move one step. Badgers and mice move one step. But a hare can run many squares at once, as long as the way is clear.

One evening, Skipwell saw a long empty path between the ponds. "Watch this!" he said, and he ran. Whoosh! He zipped all the way to the other side.

"Wow!" said Puck.

But over in the Reed village, someone else was watching too.

"Did you see that piece run?" said a Reed animal. "Only a hare can run that far. Now we know that piece is a hare."

Skipwell stopped. His ears drooped. "Oh," he said. "I gave away my secret. Now they know who I am."

Mosswick the owl landed beside him. "You did," the owl said kindly. "Running far always shows you are a hare. So the question is not can you run far. The question is: is it worth it right now?"

Skipwell thought about it. Being found out felt a bit embarrassing. But he had also found something. At the end of his long run, he could see the far corner of the Reed village, where no one had looked before.