He hadn’t told anyone yet besides Rabbit, but Squirrel was collecting supplies to build a giant balloon.

The skin of the balloon would be constructed of a patchwork of lightweight panels made of things Squirrel was finding in the garden, in the meadow, and in the woods — insect wings, feathers, dried leaves, cicada shells, and flower petals — all sewn together with strong, sticky cobweb threads.

(September 2023)

Story © Jennifer Singleton / Read+Purr

This is another vignette in my ongoing series of Tiny Garden Stories: peaceful 1-minute tales that let you read like a kid again. Click one of the first two buttons below to go to (or back to, if that’s where you fell down the rabbit hole) either the “Public Garden” archive page or (if you’re a Story Club member) to the members-only “Private Garden” page. Or click the third button to learn more about my Tiny Garden Stories. If you’re new to Tiny Garden Story-land and would like 10 days’ worth of stories from our first year, visit ReadPurrNewsletter.com.