After shooing several overly caffeinated squirrels through the tea-shop door, turning the “open” sign to “closed,” tidying up a bit, and eating her supper, Rabbit set out on a late-evening walk.

As always at this time of year, she headed for the spot in the woods where the fireflies gathered for their nightly parties.

Not everyone realized that fireflies were sometimes shy, especially when they had just woken up, but Rabbit knew. So she stood quietly in the gathering dusk, watching the trees. And before long, dozens of fireflies blinked and flashed and danced at the edges of her vision.

(Early July 2024)

Story © Jennifer McClain 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.

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