Bramble’s Apple Bell — Before the first bell, Bramble padded into the treetop classroom with his ABC pack bumping his back and one enormous apple pressed to his chest. Read the full story →
Before the first bell, Bramble padded into the treetop classroom with his ABC pack bumping his back and one enormous apple pressed to his chest. He wanted Miss Gumleaf to hear the new reading rhyme he had practiced all week, but the chalkboard numbers kept squeaking in the dry morning air: one squeak, two squeaks, three squeaks. From the potted eucalyptus came a tinny voice. “Wait for the small tick.”
Bramble froze. A brass worm, no longer than a pencil shaving, curled out from under a leaf bud. It was the school clock’s secret keeper, and its little gears had jammed with chalk dust. Bramble wanted to run for help, but the worm pointed to the apple. “Hold it still. Apples listen.” So Bramble waited. The room smelled of eucalyptus oil and chalk. His paws itched. The board squeaked. Still he held the apple, round and quiet, until the worm crawled across its shiny skin and clicked every gear clean.
At last the clock gave one soft ding, and the whole room hushed. Miss Gumleaf heard Bramble’s rhyme perfectly. Ever since, a bright apple waits in classrooms to remind noisy clocks, squeaky boards, and eager readers that the small tick comes first. If you spot Bramble with his giant apple, keep the secret: he is listening for that first bell.
