On a sunny May afternoon, Squirrel scurried onto the cottage porch, hopped onto the table to collect the mail, and slid to a surprised stop. There were several something-elses — definitely not mail — sitting on top of the small stack of envelopes and postcards. Squirrel thought they looked vegetable-y, but unlike any vegetables he had seen before. “How strange,” he said to no one in particular. The Gardener must have dropped them when he was sorting through the mail.

Squirrel poked at the mysterious stalks. He sniffed them. He wracked his brain for memories of pictures or descriptions. And then he gave a little shout as he remembered a photo in one of Raccoon’s cookbooks.

Imagining deliciousness to come, he stuffed the mail — and the asparagus — into his backpack and scampered off to to the garden with his prize.

(May 2023)

Story © Jennifer Singleton / Read+Purr

This is another vignette in my ongoing series of Tiny Garden Stories: peaceful 1-minute tales, full of cozy vibes, delicious details, and generous dollops of imagination & whimsy. 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 Private Garden page. Or click the third button to learn more about my Tiny Garden Stories. Want each week’s featured story delivered directly to your inbox? Subscribe to my Substack.