(This was written in response to a story a newsletter owner shared about an

Easter egg hunt memory from his childhood)

I don't recall my age at the time but the memory is still clear in my mind.

There was a church sponsored egg hunt at the park up the street from our

house. As kids we spent many hours hanging out in this park. This is the

same one where the pervert followed me, my sister and best friend home one

day; but that's another story. (Mad dogs and children).

The prize was much smaller than the one in Rich's story but at the time it

seemed wonderful. 3 lucky children would receive a solid chocolate bunny,

encased in a brilliantly colored box if they found the brightly colored

marshmallow egg with a slip of paper inside the cellophane. We all took off

on command and scattered all over the park, searching desperately to find

all the candy eggs we could and hoping to find one of the special ones. I

found several and my basket was filling up fast but no special egg yet. Just

as I was ready to give up, Eureka! I found one of the eggs! I made a beeline

for the table to collect my solid chocolate bunny. My twin sister, who is 23

minutes older than me but the shy one, followed me over. Being the extrovert

that I was and am I was always protective of her, as if she were the younger

sibling. I felt awful that she hadn't found an egg with the slip of paper.

There was hope though since there was still one more out there.

Once you found the egg you were supposed to trade it for the bunny but the

lady forgot to collect mine. I slipped it back in my basket and told my

sister to follow me. I then discreetly dropped it back on the ground for her

to "find" it. She grabbed it up and ran to exchange it. I was happy and all

was well with my world.

Then the third egg was found. Oh dear. There were no more solid chocolate

bunnies! Someone had made a mistake! They asked if someone had not turned in

their egg by accident but I didn't speak up, just stood there guilty as sin

knowing that the bunny was ill-gotten gain but refusing to 'fess up. They

finally gave the boy a $1 bill so that he could buy one.

On the way home my dad gave a little min-speech on how it's wrong to lie and

that they knew SOMEONE had. I just knew HE knew it was ME but I still didn't

confess. I ate the bunny but as I recall it didn't taste nearly as good as I

had anticipated.

My face still burns in shame all these many years later. I have never shared

this story before so I'm hoping the telling will help exorcise the memory as

well as the feeling of guilt. I need to finally forgive the little girl who

so wanted her sister to share in the bounty that she shamelessly lied to

help her win.