Old Man Tiber, the Easter Bunny, was in a terrible pickle. It wasn’t the egg-hiding that worried him, or the long night of delivering treats. It was his colors! Every year, Tiber’s fur shimmered with the brightest spring shades – rosy pinks, sunny yellows, and sky blues. But this year… he was completely gray. A dull, dusty gray, like a winter cloud.
He hopped into the meadow, usually a riot of wildflowers, but even they seemed faded to him. He tried to paint eggs, but the colors looked muddy and sad. He sighed. “Oh dear,” he mumbled, his whiskers drooping. “How can I bring springtime joy if I *look* like winter?”
A little girl named Lily was picking daffodils nearby with her grandmother. She noticed the sad bunny and skipped over. “What’s wrong, Mr. Bunny?” she asked, her voice full of concern.
Tiber explained his problem, showing Lily his gray fur and the dull eggs. Lily’s eyes sparkled. “That’s terrible! But I think I can help!” She ran back to her grandmother and returned with a basket filled with things: berry juice, crushed flower petals, spinach leaves, and even a little bit of carrot pulp.
“These are all natural dyes!” Lily explained. “My grandmother taught me how to make colors from things we find in nature.” She carefully began to paint Tiber’s fur with the berry juice, creating a soft pink hue. Then, she used the crushed daffodil petals for a cheerful yellow, and spinach juice for a gentle green.
Tiber giggled as Lily worked. It tickled! He hadn’t felt this happy in days. Soon, patches of color began to reappear on his fur. It wasn’t quite the same as his usual shimmer, but it was bright and cheerful.
“Now for the eggs!” Lily exclaimed. She showed Tiber how to dip the eggs into the different dyes, creating a rainbow of springtime colors. They worked together, laughing and chatting, until the basket was full of beautifully colored eggs.
But there weren’t enough dyes to color *all* of Tiber’s fur. He looked at Lily, a little worried. Lily smiled. “We don’t need to color it all!” she said. “The most important thing is to share the colors. We can use the extra dyes to paint little designs on the eggs, and then hide them all over the meadow. Everyone will see the colors, and that will bring the springtime joy!”
Tiber’s heart warmed. Lily was right! It wasn’t about *him* being colorful, it was about *sharing* the colors with everyone. He and Lily spent the rest of the afternoon hiding the beautifully decorated eggs throughout the meadow.
That night, as Tiber delivered the eggs, he realized something wonderful. Even though his fur wasn’t perfectly colorful, the joy he felt from helping others and sharing the springtime spirit made him shine brighter than ever before. And as he hopped away, he left a trail of colorful eggs and happy smiles, proving that the true colors of Easter come from kindness and sharing.
Lily, tucked into bed, smiled, knowing she had helped the Easter Bunny bring springtime joy to everyone. She closed her eyes, dreaming of colorful eggs and a very grateful bunny. And Old Man Tiber, with a few patches of pink, yellow, and green, knew this would be the happiest Easter yet.