see it clearly
Peter Rabbit Learns To Sit Tight
By Thornton W. Burgess
Peter Rabbit was hopping slowly along through the snow covered Green Forest on his way back to the dear Old Brier patch. Peter was hopping slowly because he was thinking. He was thinking of all that his big cousin, Jumper the Hare had taught him that night. They had had a great time together nearly all night, and now it was almost morning and Peter was on his way home. Peter laughed aloud as he thought of how Jumper had fooled Jimmy Skunk with his white coat so that he thought Jumper was just a little heap of snow. And he laughed again when he remembered how later Granny and Reddy Fox had trotted right past Jumper without seeing him although he was in plain sight.
"My, but Jumper was brave to sit so still with old Granny Fox so near! I wonder if I could do it. Jumper says that the whole secret of fooling people is sitting tight, and I suppose he is right. But it must be dreadfully hard, oh dreadfully hard, to sit perfectly still and not move the teeniest, weeniest bit when danger is so close at hand," thought Peter.
And then, right into the middle of his thoughts broke a terrible sound, a sound that always made Peter shiver when he heard it even when he knew that he was perfectly safe. It was the fierce hunting call of Hooty the Owl. Somehow in this clear, frost air it sounded to Peter fiercer and hungrier than usual. Perhaps that was because Peter was so far away from dear Old Brier Patch. Peter looked this way and he looked that way for a place to hid, but there was no place, no hole, no hollow log, not even one of the many white caves made by the snow covered branches of the hemlock trees, for these were in another part of the Green Forest.
Again Hooty the Owl hooted his fierce hunting call and this time it was so much nearer that Peter just got all ready to run as fast as ever he could. And then, just as he was going to make the first jump, he looked up and saw a big shadow sail slowly from the top of a tall tree to the top of another tall tree where it sat so straight and still that if Peter hadn't seen it go there he certainly would have thought it a part of the tree.
He changed his mind about running. Yes, Sir, he changed his mind, and he changed it mighty quick. He knew that that shadow was Hooty the Owl, and he knew that Hooty had not seen him yet. Into his head popped the warning of Jumper the Hare, which was to sit tight. So Peter sat tight. He crouched down as close to the snow as he could get and with his ears laid back he sat perfectly still watching Hooty the Owl. And Hooty the Owl sat perfectly still on the top of the tall tree watching and listening after each fierce hoot.
It seemed to Peter Rabbit, sitting there with his heart going thumpity-thump, thumpity-thump,that the great eyes of Hooty the Owl were looking right at him most of the time. And every time Hooty hooted Peter had all he could do to keep from jumping. But he didn't. He sat tight and wished and wished that Hooty would get tired and go away. After a long, long time Hooty did spread his great wings and came sailing straight towards Peter. His wings didn't make a sound, as do the wings of other birds, and he seemed to drift just like a shadow straight towards Peter.
It was harder than ever to sit tight now, but Peter did, and Hooty the Owl sailed right over him without seeing him at all, although it seemed to Peter as if those fierce eyes looked right through him. When Peter was sure that Hooty was far away he once more started for home and he felt very happy for he had learned the great lesson of sitting tight.
"When danger comes I just sit tight,
Wrapped in my little coat of white,
And sharp eyes come and sharp eyes go
And think I'm just a heap of snow.
I love my little coat of white
That keeps me safe when I sit tight."