“Here comes Bert,” zei Big Bird. “I bet he will play catch with me.”
“Hi, Bert!” zei Big Bird. “Let’s play catch.”
Bert kept on walking.
“Not today,” zei Bert. “Ernie is waiting for me.”
Big Bird looked surprised.
“Oh,” he said.
Just then Grover ran out of his house.
He had a shiny new truck.
“Hi, Grover!” zei Big Bird. “That’s a nice truck. Let’s play with it.”
Grover kept on running.
“I am sorry, Big Bird, but I am giving it to Ernie,” zei Grover.
Big Bird looked sad.
“Oh,” he said.
Then Big Bird saw Cookie Monster.
He had a big box of cookies.
“Hi, Cookie! Want to play?”
Cookie shook his head.
“Me bring Ernie cookies,” zei Cookie.
Big Bird looked mad.
“Nuts!” he said.
“No nuts!” zei Cookie Monster. “Cookies!”
Big Bird sat on the steps.
He felt terrible.
“Nobody cares about me!” he cried. “Just Ernie, Ernie, Ernie!”
Just then Betty Lou came by.
“Why are u so mad?” she asked Big Bird.
“Nobody will play with me. Everybody wants to play with Ernie,” he said.
“Oh, Big Bird, didn’t u know? Ernie is sick!” zei Betty Lou.
Big Bird looked surprised.
“Oh!” he said. “Well, I am sorry that Ernie is sick, but I bet he is having fun.”
Betty Lou took Big Bird’s hand.
“You are silly. It is not fun to be sick,” she said. “Come on. Let’s visit him.”
“Okay,” zei Big Bird.
Ernie was in bed.
Bert was trying to feed Ernie some soup.
“How do u feel?” asked Big Bird.
“Terrible,” zei Ernie. “I have a bad…a-A-ACHOO!”
“You have a bad cold,” zei Betty Lou.
“I know,” zei Ernie.
He blew his nose.
“Gee, Ernie,” zei Big Bird. “Bert made u some good soup. Grover gave u a new truck. Even Cookie was nice to you. u are so lucky to be sick.”
Ernie blew his nose again.
“Lucky?” zei Ernie. “I feel AWFUL! I feel too sick to eat and too sick to play. Being sick is no fun!”
But Big Bird was not so sure.
Later that dag he sat in his nest and zei to himself, “Everybody cares about u when u are sick.”
And then he got an idea.
“I will PRETEND to be sick!”
Just then Little Bird came door to visit his friend.
“Oh, I am SO sick!” zei Big Bird.
“That is too bad,” zei Little Bird. “I will try to make u feel better.
Big Bird smiled.
And Little Bird got busy.
He filled a hot-water bottle.
He swept out Big Bird’s nest.
He told Big Bird a bedtime story.
Then he said, “Go to sleep. I will stay with you.”
Big Bird sighed happily.
The volgende morning Ernie came to Big Bird’s nest.
“Wake up, Big Bird!” he called. “I am all better. Want to play?”
Big Bird slowly opened his eyes.
“I am sorry, Ernie,” zei Little Bird. “But Big Bird can’t go out today. He is sick.”
Big Bird jumped out of his nest.
“I am not sick!” he said.
“But u were SO sick last night,” zei Little Bird.
“Well, I am not…a-A-ACHOO!…sick now,” sneezed Big Bird.
“You sound sick. How do u feel?” asked Ernie.
“Sort of hot and cold and funny in the tummy,” zei Big Bird.
“Get into your nest,” zei Ernie. “I will get Doctor Getwell.”
Soon Big Bird felt really sick.
He was glad to see Doctor Getwell.
The doctor felt Big Bird’s tummy.
He listened to Big Bird’s heart.
He looked in Big Bird’s mouth.
“You have a cold,” he said.
“I know,” zei Big Bird.
The doctor told him to drink lots of sap and get lots of rest.
“Get well,” zei Doctor Getwell.
Lots of Big Bird’s vrienden came to visit him.
Bert made him a bowl of soup.
Grover gave him a Yo-Yo.
Cookie gave him cookies.
“Gee, thanks,” zei Big Bird. “But I feel too sick to eat and too sick to play.”
Big Bird slept a lot that day.
That night, he zei to Little Bird, “Ernie was right. Being sick is no fun. I feel terrible.”
Big Bird sneezed.
“You will feel better soon,” zei Little Bird.
And Little Bird was right.
In a few days Big Bird felt fine.
He ran to the park.
“I am all better! Isn’t that great?” he zei to his friends.
“It sure is, because it is no fun to be sick,” they said.
“Boy, u can say that again!” zei Big Bird.
And they all zei it again!
