The Unfair Fair

“Do you want to bring a friend to the fair?” asked Dad. Emily did.

“How about Ingrid?” said Mom.

“Yes!” said Emily. Ingrid would be the perfect friend to bring. She liked ferris wheels and cotton candy. And she was good at games. Maybe she would win the big stuffed animal!

But when they got to the fair, things didn’t go the way Emily expected. Ingrid didn’t want to ride the ferris wheel. She wanted to go on the tilt-a-whirl.

“That ride makes me dizzy,” said Emily.

They couldn’t decide on a ride. So they went to get snacks instead. But Ingrid didn’t want to split cotton candy like Emily hoped.

“I’d rather get popcorn,” said Ingrid

“Popcorn sticks in my teeth,” said Emily.

They couldn’t decide on a snack. So they went to play games instead. But Ingrid didn’t want to play the duck game. And Emily didn’t want to play the dart game.

“This is an unfair fair!” they both shouted.

Mom and Dad said that being friends was sometimes about making compromises. “I’ll ride the tilt-a-whirl with Ingrid,” said Dad.

“And I’ll ride the ferris wheel with Emily,” said Mom.

“And then we can ride the bumper cars together!” the girls said.

After the bumper cars, they got hot dogs and candy apples. Then they played the goldfish game. Ingrid won!

Ingrid picked out a giant teddy bear prize. “I knew you were good at games,” said Emily.

“This bear is for you,” said Ingrid. “Thank you for inviting me.”

“You’re welcome,” said Emily. “You were the perfect friend to bring to the fair!”