THE LITTLE RABBIT PADELLINO

Once upon a time in the small town of Carotopoli, there was a retired rabbit named Padellino. He lived in a small house at the end of a large vegetable garden.

One morning, as he was looking out of a small window scratching his head as if he had a big problem, he saw three carrots, two celery ribs, four tomatoes, an onion, an eggplant, and a potato rolling behind the group coming down the path towards his house. The path was slightly downhill. "How wonderful!" he exclaimed. "With these fresh vegetables, I can try cooking so I won't get bored anymore! How come I never thought of this before?!”

Padellino, who had been the station master of Carotopoli before retiring, knew about trains, schedules, and everything needed for that job, but he had never cooked before; he usually only ate carrots.

Asking around, he obtained a frying pan and a pot with their lids, all second-hand and not used for who knows how long. But he needed them and, after a good cleaning, they were ready for use, better than new. He made two ladles from tree bark and the kitchen sprang into action. The fire blazed from the small stove like never before, and the flames multiplied. The little rabbit, with great passion, began experimenting with tasty and fragrant dishes.

The large garden had always been cultivated by some retired elders. They immediately approved of little Padellino's idea, providing him with all the seasonal vegetables. First, a means of transportation was needed; they fixed up an old wheelbarrow that had a large rubber wheel in front and made it slide towards the house. Satisfied and filled with goodness, the elders, ready for delivery, first heard whistling, then a light breeze, a sudden puff, and, as if by magic, the wheelbarrow sped along the path. With each load, a whistle, a new puff, and the wheelbarrow went. The elders were amazed, barely holding the handle and not getting tired.

But they weren’t too surprised. In a giant tree that dominated one side of the garden, an elf had always lived there because of an old enchantment. Perhaps he was using his magic to help the elders. Because only they, at rare moments, had heard magical music in the air and sensed his mysterious presence.

On the other side of the large garden, there was a farm with a chicken coop. The elders told the farmer what was happening. "What great news," he said, and was happy to provide fresh eggs to rabbit Padellino every day. A pleasant smell spread around, other little rabbits passing by were invited to taste. "Mmm... good," they would say and lick their whiskers.

They volunteered as helpers, setting up outdoors on six small tables, using cut tree trunks. More rabbits came, built chairs with flowered backrests and legs made of intertwined branches. They improvised plates and cups using rolled and shaped vegetable leaves artistically. "Well done, well done," applauded little Padellino.

"Why don't we open more small restaurants nearby?" they said, and the girls and boys who would come to taste our dishes would pay: "for an appetizer, a bunch of daisies; for a main course, five primroses; for a sandwich, some violets; for a second course, unfaded poppies; dessert will be free. And we will be happy to work for them."

From there, they thought of having the children of the whole town taste the food. They agreed, making deliveries on multicolored scooters driven by rabbits. Some retired grandmothers were also contacted to organize the deliveries. They gladly agreed. They put on hats adorned with vegetables and took service: "don’t drive too fast, stop at the stops," and so on. In the whole town, there was heavy traffic of rabbits on scooters having fun and waving: "hello, we're coming... hello, hello, make room." Cars and bicycles made way, and the traffic lights turned green at their arrival.

Everything was going well, when one morning the tax office woke up, perhaps it had suffered from insomnia at night or perhaps it hadn't digested dinner, who knows...!!! The clerk began to send taxes to be paid by rabbit Padellino. Luckily, the morning the first payment request arrived, the sun was cheerful and smiling, so he got a little less angry. He had plenty of charm to sell, but he didn’t want to pay; his greatest pleasure was to give everything away for free.

The elf, who was always wandering around the garden, learned about little Padellino’s problem. He was a free spirit, but, as in fairy tales, he possessed something magical and it was a flute. Playing it, his music reached other magical creatures like him and by magic enchantment, they appeared immediately. Of course, they were invisible, but with their magic, they were ready to help the little rabbit. Every envelope that arrived at the post office was blown back with a puff, flying back and opening up. The sky seemed to be covered with paper that, by magic, made its way back to the tax office. In the following days, the returned documents piled up and up on the desk. It was a real mystery, and the head of the tax office realized the mistake. What to do with those papers! And then a great idea flashed through his mind. He gathered the town’s gnawing mice, who in no time chewed up all that paper and made bags of confetti for the carnival.

You should know that the elf was in possession, in addition to the magical flute, of a branch covered in equally magical leaves, obtained from a centuries-old tree, which in its cavity hid the secrets about the life of these fantastic creatures. For each leaf of the magical branch, the elf could grant a wish. Word had spread, so that the children of the town made a proposal to him. The elf, having become their friend and no longer invisible, listened to them. Their wish was to send flying balloons, painted in the colors of the rainbow, around the world to bring food to those who had none. Meanwhile, little Padellino continued to cook as much as possible together with his assistants. Each leaf of the enchanted branch, with its magic, could guide a balloon to deliver food cooked by the rabbits with great passion, to children in every corner of the world. And so it was done. Meanwhile, the grandmothers had woven small wicker baskets and, inside, placed one by one, in a fistful of soil, seedlings taken from the large garden. The baskets, tied to the flying balloons, reached their destination. The enchantment had no end; the children took the seedlings which, put in the ground, watered and grown, would bear their fruits, and in turn, other seeds sprouted.

As the balloons loaded with all the goodness arrived, the clapping of the children's hands echoed from every part. Tasting that delicious food was like a dream come true, bringing joy and happiness. The rabbits and the elf discovered that the true power of magic lies in kindness and helping others.

The children wrote thanks on the balloons and with a farewell hug and a push, they helped them rise into the air and off around the world. The elf with his branch of magical leaves had fulfilled the great wish, making all the girls and boys happy.

In Carotopoli, a big party was organized in honor of the little bunny Padellino and his helpers, the grandfathers, the grandmothers, and even the farmer took part. He made available the farmyard, which was filled with songs, dances, and the telling of folk verses. Every type of food created by Chef Padellino was on the festively laid tables, and at the end of the evening, there was a grand fireworks display as a sign of joy and gratitude. All the guests were surprised and enchanted.

The elf, after the party, which he attended from the giant tree, spreading magic everywhere, returned to being invisible but remained to protect the large garden of Carotopoli and obviously, everyone lived happily ever after — each helping others as best they could.