Squirrel skittered down the oak’s rough trunk and leaped to the ground, just as another too-bright flash lit up the nighttime sky, followed — closer this time — by a crashing rattle of thunder.

As he raised his paw to knock, Rabbit opened the door. She, too, had been woken by the storm and — knowing that Squirrel had one of the highest nests in the neighborhood — had hoped he would come down, away from the lightning and rain.

Inside, all was cozy: lavender-scented and tea-filled and ringing with the songs of birds who had also come to wait out the storm.

(Late February 2024)

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.