Mama Chipmunk may have come home late of an evening or two but, until now, none of her grandchildren had ever known her to be away from the garden for an entire night. Tonight, though, she was visiting with her cousin in the woods, and all of her little ones were preparing to sleep at the houses of various neighbors. 

Three had gone to stay with Raccoon in her tree nest, and the four of them spent the evening baking snickerdoodle cookies.

Two of the older, more rambunctious ones had planned a slumber party with Squirrel, and they raced along the top of the garden fence and practiced their tree-climbing until dark.

Five went to Old Possum’s house, where they listened to classical music on the phonograph and worked on puzzles and practiced their penmanship.

And the rest stayed with Rabbit, in her cozy burrow (behind the curtain on the back wall of the tea shop), where they drank minty chamomile tea with lemon, and spent the long evening reading books by candlelight.

(July 2023)

Story & Photo © 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.