Tilly Tips the Vase — Under the garden window, the big round vase smelled of cool clay and morning water. Read the full story →
Under the garden window, the big round vase smelled of cool clay and morning water. Tilly, the shortest daisy in the bunch, wanted one brave peek over the rim before the sunbeam reached the floorboards. She bounced on her thin stem. Boing. The taller daisies bobbed like polite umbrellas, hiding every bit of the path outside.
“Just one inch,” Tilly whispered. She leaned left, then right, and the vase answered with a tiny clink. A painted heart on its belly winked in the light. Tilly froze, giggled, and leaned again. Clink-clink. The sound did not come from the water or the stems. It came from under the band of little painted leaves.
Then a secret drawer no bigger than a cracker slid open from the vase. Inside sat a silver thimble, three sunflower seeds, and a note that read: FOR THE FIRST FLOWER BRAVE ENOUGH TO WOBBLE. Tilly wore the thimble like a helmet, and every daisy shook with laughter until pollen dust tickled the air. Next time you see that big round vase, check the painted band—did Tilly leave the drawer open after her brave little boing?
