Nola Shares the First Nap — In the high heat of noon, when cicadas buzzed like tiny rattles, Nola pressed her cheek to a fork in the old eucalyptus. Read the full story →
In the high heat of noon, when cicadas buzzed like tiny rattles, Nola pressed her cheek to a fork in the old eucalyptus. She wanted the soft humming she had heard at breakfast to come back, just for her. The bark smelled sharp and minty, and the leaves clicked above her like little green spoons.
She searched under leaves, behind seed pods, even in the curl of her own fluffy ear. At last, a round knot in the trunk gave a warm tick. Nola touched it, and out rolled a hidden sound—not a song, exactly, but a sigh big enough to hold the whole tree. “Oh,” she whispered. “This is too much for one koala.”
So Nola hugged the branch and let the sigh travel through her paws, into the leaves, down the trunk, and up again. Every nearby eucalyptus grew still. Possums tucked their tails. Parrots lowered their bright heads. Ever since, eucalyptus trees keep a noon hush for sharing big joy, and if you spot Nola’s closed eyes and hugging paws, you may feel that first soft humming come back.
