Once upon a time, in a far-off land, there was a little girl named Sarah. She lived in a small house with a white picket fence and a big red gate that led to the front yard.

One day, as Sarah was playing outside, she noticed that the gate was left open. She was curious and decided to go see what was on the other side. She walked through the gate and found a crate filled with delicious looking apples. The crate had a label on it that said "Pick before the date on the plate." Sarah looked at the plate and saw that the date was in two days.

She knew she had to hurry if she wanted to pick the apples before they went bad. She ran back to her house and asked her mother if she could pick the apples. Her mother agreed, and Sarah set off to pick the apples. She picked as many as she could and put them in a basket.

As she was walking back to her house, she realized that she was running late. She had promised her friends that she would meet them at the playground, but she had spent too much time picking apples. She quickly put the basket of apples on a plate and placed it on the grate in front of her house. She then ran to the playground to meet her friends.

When she returned home, she found that the plate was empty. She asked her mother what had happened to the apples, and her mother told her that the state had come by and picked them up. Sarah was disappointed, but her mother reminded her that the state would use the apples to feed people who were in need.

Sarah felt better knowing that the apples would be put to good use. From then on, she made sure to always keep an eye on the gate and to never be late for a promise again.

The end.

Reflections

1. What did Sarah notice about the gate when she was playing outside?
2. Why did Sarah run back to her house after finding the crate of apples?
3. What did Sarah do with the basket of apples after picking them?
4. How did Sarah feel after her mother told her what happened to the apples?