Rafferty’s Parade Pocket — Under the bunting, Rafferty held very still while his star hat tipped tick-tock on his head. Read the full story →
Under the bunting, Rafferty held very still while his star hat tipped tick-tock on his head. He wanted one quiet star for the empty spot on its brim, but the parade box was bare except for paper dust and a peppermint smell.
A soft flap-flap came from the flagpole. Rafferty stepped off his cool blanket and padded across the town green, past the humming bandstand. A ribbon brushed his nose; a drum went boom. At the pole’s round base, he nosed a tiny door nobody had noticed. Inside waited a silver cloth star, warm from the sun.
“Found you,” Rafferty whispered. He carried it back and sat taller, not because his hat was fancier, but because the flagpole had trusted him with its secret. Next time you see his brim under the bunting, can you spot the quiet star?
