On an aggressively dreary, gray afternoon, Old Possum was listening to his music. The slower movements of Beethoven’s late string quartets, to be exact. The haunting melodies had him feeling contemplative and wistful and even a tad melancholy — but, as he said to himself, in a comforting sort of way.

A tiny knock at the door startled him out of his reveries, whereupon he was delighted to find that the unexpected visitor was his dear friend Mouse, who had made the long trek from the woods when he realized, in looking at the weather, that it would be a Beethoven sort of day and that his old friend — even if he wouldn’t admit it — would want a bit of company.

(February 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.