Something's Eating the Strawberries

"Oh, no," Mama exclaimed. "I can not believe it!"

Little Guy and Sunshine rushed to Mama's side. They stared down at the small patch of strawberry plants.

Mama reached down among the leaves and came up with a deep, red strawberry. Little Guy thought it was beautiful. Then Mama turned it over. Something had eaten part of Mama's strawberry. Uh-oh!

Sunshine immediately started searching for the culprit. Little Guy didn't know what to look for. Mama reached down and got another strawberry. Something small and slimy was eating it. Little Guy looked closely at it. He'd never seen anything like it.

"Snails," Mama said with disgust. "I'm not going to put up with it! I've worked too hard to let them eat all the strawberries."

"What do we do Mama," Little Guy asked.

"Snail bait," Mama said firmly.

She turned and marched toward the laundry room. The laundry room has really tall shelves. On the very top shelves, Gran keeps all kinds of things for getting rid of critters. Little Guy and Sunshine can't reach those shelves. They followed Mama anyway.

Mama took down a small bag.

"What does snail bait look like, Mama," Little Guy asked.

"It's really small pellets. We pour the pellets around the area where the plants are, making sure not to get any on the plants or berries."

"Can I help, Mama," Sunshine asked.

"No," Mama said. "It isn't safe for children. You and Little Guy need to stay away from the pellets. No sniffing!"

Mama stared at Little Guy. He squirmed.

"Promise me," Mama said.

Two small heads nodded. "Yes, Mama," Little Guy and Sunshine said.

A few days later Mama was all smiles. No more half-eaten strawberries.

"Look at this," she exclaimed. She held the container filled with strawberries down low so Little Guy and Sunshine could see.

"How about some strawberries and ice cream for dessert tonight," Mama asked.

Little Guy nodded enthusiastically. Strawberries and ice cream sounded like a really good idea to him.

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