Once Harold was asleep, Mr. Owl added a splash of Irish cream to his cocoa, settled into his reading chair, and broke the wax seal on the envelope his unexpected houseguest had delivered.

Tucked inside were several sheets of heavy linen stationery, crowded with his aunt’s scratchy handwriting. As Mr. Owl deciphered the letter, he learned that his aunt had found little Harold as an orphaned fledgling and had taken him in. Now, though, she was sending him to her nephew (please and thank you) because Harold was a smart, curious little owl, and it was time he started school.

(Mid-August 2024)

Story © Jennifer McClain Singleton / Read+Purr

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