And so, on a cool, blustery morning, Rabbit hopped to the porch side of the cottage, to the witch hazel tree, where she gathered a basket-full of delicate yellow blossoms, yellow-and-green leaves, and a few twigs for the tincture that she kept in a stoppered glass bottle and doled out as needed — whether soaked into soft cotton to rub on scratches and bruises and mosquito bites, or squeezed into tea, just a drop or two, to help with winter colds.

And while at the porch, she added several sprigs of mint to her basket as well, from the pots on the railing. She didn’t think the Gardener or his wife would miss them and, besides, she would need them to make a fresh batch of mint syrup for Old Possum’s favorite wintertime cocktails.

(Mid-October 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.