Nico Finds the Flag Whisper — Under the garden bunting, Nico tapped the striped picnic blanket with one paw. Read the full story →
Under the garden bunting, Nico tapped the striped picnic blanket with one paw. He had set himself a serious challenge: count every star before the first cricket chirped three times. Stars on the flag, stars on the paper banners, stars sewn along the blanket’s edge—his whiskers ticked with each number. Then a silver speck flashed from the tall grass, where no star should be.
Nico stepped off his warm blanket into clover that smelled peppery and damp. A burr caught in his tail, and he had to leave one proud tuft of fur behind. The flash came again near the flagpole. Tucked under a leaf was a tiny brass button stamped with a star, humming faintly like a bee in a jar. “Who are you counting for?” whispered the button.
“For me,” Nico said, though his ears felt hot. He carried it back and clipped it to his bow. The cricket chirped once, twice, three times, and all the paper stars trembled as if answering. Nico never finished his count; he had found the star that counted him back. If you follow the little stars around his paws, can you spot where the secret might sparkle next?
