Saffron’s Quiet Slice Dare — Under the nut trees, Saffron set herself a daring little rule: she would not nibble the maple Bundt cake until she had chosen the very best slice for someone else. Read the full story →
Under the nut trees, Saffron set herself a daring little rule: she would not nibble the maple Bundt cake until she had chosen the very best slice for someone else. The cake smelled like toasted sugar and warm butter, and every shiny drip seemed to point at her fork. She turned the platter once, twice, three times. “No sneaky crumbs,” she told her own fingers, which were already acting suspicious.
A breeze rattled the dry leaves. Saffron picked the tallest, glossiest slice and slid it onto a saucer behind the cider jug, where nobody would see her being generous. Then she noticed a neat trail of berries rolling toward the saucer—plip, plip, plip. From under an oak leaf peeked a field mouse wearing an acorn cap like a helmet.
The mouse bowed, added one berry beside the slice, and scampered off to ring a tiny nutshell bell. Soon, invisible paws rustled under the leaves. Saffron grinned and finally cut herself a smaller piece. If you spot the acorns near the cake, you may find where the mouse captain first came aboard Saffron’s quiet slice dare.
