Rusty was a very busy robot. He zoomed and whirred all day long! He helped Farmer Giles collect apples, he played hide-and-seek with Lily the lamb, and he even polished the moon for the nighttime sky. Rusty loved being helpful, but he never, ever stopped.
One evening, Rusty was trying to build a tower of blocks for Barnaby Bear. But his arms felt wobbly, and his gears were grinding. He kept dropping the blocks! ‘Oh dear,’ beeped Rusty sadly. ‘I can’t seem to get it right.’
Barnaby Bear noticed Rusty was struggling. “Rusty,” he said gently, “you seem tired. Even robots need to rest, you know!” Rusty tilted his head. “Rest? But there’s so much to *do*!”
Lily the lamb trotted over. “Farmer Giles always says, ‘A tired worker doesn’t work well!’ You need to recharge your batteries, Rusty.” Farmer Giles chuckled and added, “Just like me after a long day in the fields!”
Rusty didn’t understand. He’d never thought about needing to *stop*. Barnaby Bear showed Rusty a cozy spot under the big oak tree. “Close your eyes,” Barnaby said. “And just… be still.”
Rusty tried. It was hard! He wanted to whir and beep and *do* something. But he closed his eyes and listened to the crickets chirping. He listened to Lily’s soft bleating and Barnaby’s gentle breathing. Slowly, Rusty’s gears began to quiet down.
He felt a peaceful feeling spread through his circuits. It felt… good! After a little while, Rusty opened his eyes. He felt much better. His arms weren’t wobbly anymore, and his gears weren’t grinding.
“Wow!” beeped Rusty happily. “I feel recharged! Thank you, Barnaby and Lily!” He easily built the tower of blocks for Barnaby, and it was the tallest, most beautiful tower ever.
From that day on, Rusty still helped everyone, but he always remembered to take time to rest. He learned that even a busy robot needs to slow down, recharge, and listen to his gears. And now, it’s time for *you* to rest too. Close your eyes, little one, and have sweet dreams.