Moxie and the Porch Guest — Every afternoon, Moxie patrolled the porch rails, tapping acorns into tidy pairs and batting dry leaves off the steps before they could skitter away. Read the full story →
Every afternoon, Moxie patrolled the porch rails, tapping acorns into tidy pairs and batting dry leaves off the steps before they could skitter away. The boards smelled like sun-warmed pine and old rain, and her bell went tink-tink as she marched. Then one windy day, a pumpkin beside the railing sneezed.
“Excuse me,” said a tiny voice from the stem hole. A field cricket climbed out, wearing an acorn cap like a helmet. Because of that, Moxie pounced backward into a crunchy pile of oak leaves. Because of THAT, the leaves flew up, the acorns rolled under the pumpkin, and three squirrels on the fence began applauding like theater critics.
Moxie flicked her striped tail and bowed. Finally, she nudged the pumpkin to the porch corner, where it boomed like a drum when the cricket kicked from inside. Moxie made the leaves swirl, the cricket made the pumpkin cough, and the squirrels tossed acorns for the grand finale. Look near the pumpkin again—you can almost hear the tink-tink of Moxie’s afternoon patrol.
