Oren and the Waiting Banana — The ripest banana in the basket gave off a sugary, sunny smell, and Oren carried it toward his hammock with both hands. He had waited all morning for the peel to turn freckly-gold. Read the full story →
The ripest banana in the basket gave off a sugary, sunny smell, and Oren carried it toward his hammock with both hands. He had waited all morning for the peel to turn freckly-gold. Just as he sat down, tap… tap… tap came from the open treehouse window, though no wind moved the leaves.
Oren tucked the banana under his arm and padded across the warm porch boards. A small beetle, blue as a raindrop, tapped the window frame with one shiny foot. “Not yet,” it clicked. Oren frowned at his banana. His tummy made a soft gloop. Still, he followed the beetle past the railing, around the hammock knot, and to a vine curled under the roof.
There, hidden behind three leaves, hung a tiny green banana blossom, closed tight as a secret. The beetle tapped once more. Oren waited. The porch smelled of wood and sap, and the hammock creaked behind him. At last, the blossom opened with a quiet pop, dusting his nose with gold pollen. Oren laughed, peeled his banana, and left the softest bite by the vine for the patient blue beetle. If you peek at the porch, you might spot where Oren first heard tap… tap… tap.
