Mama Chipmunk’s grandchildren and their squirrel friends had the day off from school, of course, and they’d been tasked with clearing the meadow so that Raccoon and Squirrel could set up tables and chairs for the feast. The youngsters had borrowed rakes from Old Possum, and by mid-morning, the leaf piles around the edges of the meadow were twice the height of the littlest chipmunk.

By then, they all agreed, it was time for a break and so they dropped their rakes on the grass and somersaulted, dove, and belly-flopped into the crunchy leaves.

The robins, enjoying their own noisy feast of honeysuckle berries in the bushes at the far end of the garden, watched the children playing in the leaf piles and laughed and laughed.

(November 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.