High up in the ancient oak tree, Squirrel’s nest swayed in the wind.

But Squirrel hadn’t noticed. He was fast asleep and dreaming of a summer’s day: swinging in a hammock, drinking lemonade, and listening to the bees.

When several noisy birds intruded on his dream, he tried to shoo them away, but they wouldn’t stop squawking.

And then he awoke with a start, as the sky flashed with lightning, and thunder rumbled, too close. He scrambled out of bed, ran out of his house, and scampered down, down, down to Rabbit’s door at the base of the huge trunk.

(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.