

Lily and Ben were friends. They liked to play in the garden. One day, they saw a large strawberry plant. It had many red and juicy strawberries.
"Look, Ben, look!" Lily said. "Strawberries! Let's pick some and eat them!"
"OK, Lily, OK!" Ben said. "But we have to be quick. Mom said not to go near the plant. She said it belongs to Mr. Fox, the mean old man who lives next door."
Lily and Ben did not listen to Mom. They ran to the plant and picked some strawberries. They put them in a basket and hid behind a bush. They talked and laughed and ate the strawberries. They did not see Mr. Fox watching them from his window.
Mr. Fox was angry. He did not like children. He did not like sharing his strawberries. He grabbed his cane and went outside. He walked to the bush where Lily and Ben were hiding. He shouted and waved his cane.
"Hey, you little thieves! Get away from my plant! Give me back my strawberries! Or I will hit you with my cane!"
Lily and Ben were scared. They dropped the basket and ran away. But Mr. Fox was faster. He caught Ben by his shirt and pulled him back. He raised his cane and hit Ben on his head. Ben cried and fell to the ground.
Lily saw what happened. She screamed and ran to Ben. She tried to help him. But it was too late. Ben was not moving. He was not talking. He was not breathing. He was dead.
Lily was sad. She was alone. She wished she had listened to Mom. She wished she had never seen the large strawberry plant. She wished she had never met Mr. Fox.
