¹     It was a very sad day for Mrs. Ricco's class. Megan, their pet rabbit had died the night before.
 
²     "Why did she die, Mrs. Ricco?" John asked quietly.
 
³     "I don't know, John. She was very old. She has lived with me for a long time. Perhaps she was just tired. I don't think she was sick."
 
⁴     "Why do things have to die?" Seth asked. "My grandfather died last summer. I loved him. I didn't want him to die. Why do people have to die?"
 
⁵     Mr. Lockman walked into the room. He could tell right away that all the children were sad. He sat down in a chair near the front of the room.
 
⁶     "Why is everyone so unhappy, Hugh?" he asked.
 
⁷     "Megan died. She was our pet rabbit. We loved her, and she died."
 
⁸     "And so you are all feeling very bad," Mr. Lockman said.
 
⁹     "I feel so bad," Corey agreed. "I think I might cry."
 
¹⁰     Some of the children nodded. Others just looked at the floor.
 
¹¹     "You will miss Megan, won't you?"
 
¹²     "I will miss her so much," Josh said. "Sometimes she was my best friend. I could tell her anything."
 
¹³     "I will miss her, too," Keith said softly. "She made me feel like smiling when I saw her."

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