It was past time, honestly, for the tree to go back outside.

Crow plucked the carved wooden star from the top and gave it to Old Possum, who wrapped it and the glass ornaments in crinkly tissue paper and nestled them back in their box for another year. The smaller birds helped by unwinding the popcorn strings — and, of course, by eating all the remaining popcorn and berries. Then they all said goodbye-for-now to the tree and heaved it into the wagon sitting outside Possum’s door.

Everyone helped as best they could to pull the wagon all the way down the street to the woods, where they planted their cargo in the small evergreen forest they were slowly creating, year after year, one sapling at a time.

(January 2022)

Story © 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.