Ludo’s Ribbon Run — Under the shady park clock, Ludo tucked a soft blue ribbon into his sneaker lace and rolled toward the race path. Read the full story →
Under the shady park clock, Ludo tucked a soft blue ribbon into his sneaker lace and rolled toward the race path. He wanted to cross the chalk finish before the bell went ding-dong, the way his baker friend had promised they would do together someday. The ribbon was only a scrap, but it smelled faintly of warm sugar and home. Halfway around the track, Ludo heard a tiny sniff beside the grass. A paper cup kite had torn loose from its string, and a small beetle was patting the broken tail. “Please don’t fly away,” the beetle whispered.
Ludo stopped. The runners thumped past, pat-pat-pat, and the bell rope swung in the sun. He untied the blue ribbon and knotted the kite tail tight. Up it bobbed, quiet as a cloud. No one cheered for that. Then Ludo ran on, lighter without the scrap and somehow warmer inside. At the finish, flour dust puffed around his shoes, and if you follow those little puffs, you might find where the soft blue ribbon flew.
