Crow’s cousins had kept a sharp eye on the little chipmunks while they trooped through the foggy woods on their quest. And so, when they started their walk back to the garden, Crow got word to Mama Chipmunk that they were on their way home.

She met her returning adventurers with a giant bowl of macaroni-and-cheese and they, in turn, regaled her with stories of everything they had discovered that day: an early black walnut (far too big to carry home, they had all agreed); a pawful of tiny pinecones from the giant old hemlock tree; a flock of blue butterflies; a network of caves inside the hollow trunk of a long-dead catalpa tree; a single glittering cicada wing; and — nestled among the roots of a hackberry tree and mostly covered with a rock — a large hole, which the littlest chipmunk was convinced must be a secret tunnel to Fairyland.

(August 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.