Squirrel was feeling a little desperate.

His aunt and uncle and cousins, and his cousins’ children, had all been invited to the early-winter feast in the garden meadow.

And Mama Chipmunk had offered to make two dishes (acorn-and-apple salad, and black-walnut soufflé) from Squirrel’s great-grandmother’s cookbook.   

But Squirrel hadn’t yet found enough of his buried stash of acorns and walnuts, and he was running out of time.

When he reluctantly asked his family for help, they scampered away, soon returning with more than enough nuts.

And they all knew that when Squirrel whispered, “Thank you,” he meant “I love you.”

(Late November 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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