"Amaranth! That's not polite, now is it?" Halfred said after his little sister stuck her tongue out at Farmer Mungo's wife. "Apologize right now."
"I will not!" Amaranth said as she turned her head away, crossed her arms over her chest, and began to tap her foot. After all, it wasn't her fault that she knocked over the pies in the window.
She was only enjoying the smell of the freshly baked blackberry pies. When the farmer's wife hollered at her to get away, it surprised her, made her jump and knock over the pretty pies. Never mind the fact that she was going to sneak a taste.
Amaranth loved Missus Mungo's pies. She could always tell when there was another pie ready to eat, and she always got the first slice from Missus Mungo. Sometimes, she got a taste before that first slice. But she always made sure to cover up her finger-mark with care. This time, however, Missus Mungo caught her at it.
"Well, if she won't apologize, I will have to stop giving her the first slice as always," Missus Mungo said to Halfred as she went inside her house.
Amaranth didn't notice, as her head was still turned away, that Missus Mungo winked and smiled at Halfred. He tried not to laugh. It seemed Missus Mungo would still give his little sister that first slice, but first she wanted the apology.
"Come on, Amaranth. Let's go home," Halfred solemnly told her. But instead of walking back to their house, he heard Amaranth sob, then run off in the other direction, toward the road.
"Amaranth! Come back!"
Amaranth heard him, but paid him no mind. She kept running until she came to her favorite spot that only she knew about. It was a rock that hung out over the widest part of the brook. The sun always warmed the rock, and she loved to hear the water as it hurried by. 'It's not my fault I knocked over those pies,' she thought as she plopped down on the rock. 'It isn't fair that I should be punished!'
But the more she thought of it, the more she knew that she really shouldn't have been trying to sneak a taste of the pies. The stubborn part of her kept saying that it still wasn't her fault. If she hadn't of been scared by Missus Mungo... Now, she probably wouldn't get any pie at all. 'No first slice, and no second slice. No pie at all,' Amaranth lamented. She would miss those pies.
"So this is where I find you," came Halfred's voice. Amaranth started then turned quickly to face him. Since there was no point in asking him how he found her, she got right to the point.
"Is Missus Mungo really going to not give me any pie?"
"I should think not. You upset all her pies and didn't apologize."
"Why do I need to apologize for an accident?"
"It's only polite. It's kind of like when you bump into someone. Even if you didn't mean it, you apologize, and everything is alright again."
Amaranth thought about it a little longer. Then, making her decision, she slowly got up and dusted herself off. She walked over to Halfred, smiled at him, then ran off again.
Amaranth ran through the fields and finally stopped at Missus Mungo's door. Gathering up her courage, she went to knock on the door. Before she got there, though, Missus Mungo opened the door. She had her hands behind her back, but Amaranth didn't think twice about it.
"I'm sorry, Missus Mungo," she said softly, hanging her head and shuffled one of her feet. "I didn't mean to knock over your pies."
"Why didn't you apologize before, dear?"
"I didn't think it was my fault."
"It still would've been polite to apologize."
"I know. I'm sorry."
"That's alright right, dear. Apology accepted!"
Amaranth looked up and saw Missus Mungo smiling. From around her back, Missus Mungo brought out a small plate, which had a slice of blackberry pie on it.
"I had one that was already cool and ready to eat," Missus Mungo said as she handed the plate to Amaranth.