The Reed Bed’s Hidden Bell — Every day, Quenna waded knee-deep through the lily pond and sent one low note from her crest across the water. Hummm. Read the full story →
Every day, Quenna waded knee-deep through the lily pond and sent one low note from her crest across the water. Hummm. The sound slid under cattails, nudged lily pads, and came back soft as wet moss. Quenna scratched each echo mark in the mud with her toe, waiting for the pond to answer in a new way.
One misty morning, her call did not return. The reeds only clicked, dry and papery, though the air smelled of rain. Because of that, Quenna stood still longer than usual. Because of that, she noticed one cattail trembling after all the others had stopped. “Who is keeping my echo?” she whispered.
She sang again, not louder, just longer. Hummmmmm. The trembling cattail split at its brown seam, and out rolled a tiny shell bell, hidden where no swimmer had thought to look. It rang once, clear as a star in water, and the missing echo came back carrying silver rings. Next time you see the cattails beside Quenna, can you spot the one that waited to answer, soft as wet moss?
