Sela’s Unseen Ribbon — Along the Nile reeds, Sela hunted for one straight reed to make a whistle. The mud was cool between her toes, and the cattails went hush-hush in the morning wind. Read the full story →
Along the Nile reeds, Sela hunted for one straight reed to make a whistle. The mud was cool between her toes, and the cattails went hush-hush in the morning wind. She stepped past her family’s washing stones, farther than usual, and snapped a reed that sang, “peep!” when she blew across it.
Then something bumped the bank: a little basket, rocking in the brown water. Inside, a baby slept, wrapped warm as bread. Sela’s best red ribbon held her curls, but the basket was slipping toward the quick current. “You need it more,” she whispered. She tied the ribbon from basket to reed root, lost her whistle reed to the splash, and ran home with only muddy hands. All day, no one saw what she had given. But next time you notice the basket resting among the reeds, see if you can find where a brave little ribbon might be holding fast.
