Jasper’s Sneaky Harvest Rules — Under the bare-branched trees, Jasper tucked three apples, one corn cob, and a tiny striped squash into his crooked harvest basket. Read the full story →
Under the bare-branched trees, Jasper tucked three apples, one corn cob, and a tiny striped squash into his crooked harvest basket. The morning smelled like dry grass and pumpkin skin. He had just invented a game called Don’t Let the Leaves Catch You, which had only two rules: step when the wind whooshed, freeze when a leaf landed. He wanted to play all the way to the giant pumpkin without giggling. That was the brave part, because the pumpkin sat in the wide open field where everyone could see a gnome being silly.
Whoosh. Jasper tiptoed. Plip. A leaf landed on his hat, and he froze with one boot in the air. “I am a very serious statue,” he whispered, which made his mustache bounce. More leaves skittered over the grass, scratch-scratch-scratch, and Jasper noticed something odd: the leaves were not landing on him by accident. They were circling the pumpkin in turns, as if waiting for him to move.
Then the giant pumpkin gave a soft, hollow thump. A seed popped from its stem and bounced onto a maple leaf. The leaf slid forward like a tiny sled. Jasper grinned and took one small, public, wobbly step. The field answered with a whoosh, and the pumpkin’s seed-sled won the round. If you spot Jasper standing by that big pumpkin, don’t tell the leaves—he is still a very serious statue.
