Around mid-afternoon, Squirrel checked the table on the cottage porch and found three pieces of mail to deliver: a letter for Old Possum; a book catalog (taped shut) for Mama Chipmunk; and addressed to Rabbit, another (unsealed) catalog, from a fancy stationer’s store.

He knew Rabbit wouldn’t mind, so Squirrel sat in one of the wicker chairs to browse the stationer’s wares.

There were so many beautiful things — exquisite fountain pens with fine nibs, jewel-toned inks, lined notebooks, leather-bound notebooks, sketchpads, pencils, and watercolors — that he began to daydream about all the things he could write and sketch and paint.

(Mid-April 2024)

Story © Jennifer Singleton / Read+Purr

This is another cozy Tiny Garden Story in my ongoing series: peaceful 100-word 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.