Wren and the Rolling Acorn Cup

Pop. Something small and round rolled off the table and bounced on the floor. Wren ran after it. Wren was a little mouse with soft gray ears and a pink nose. The round thing rolled under a chair. Wren pushed it out with one paw. It was the acorn cup, small and brown and smooth.

Wren liked the acorn cup. It was just the right size for a mouse. Wren carried it back to the table and set it down. Then Wren climbed up on the little chair and looked at the big room.

It was almost thanksgiving. The castle hummed, low and slow, the way it did in autumn. Ada lit the candles along the wall. One candle. Two candles. Three.

The room smelled of warm bread. The tall clock went tick, tock, tick. "Time to set the table," said Ada. "Everyone gets a leaf, and everyone gets a cup."

Ada put a big golden leaf at each place. One leaf, two leaves, three leaves. Wren had a job too. The table was long. The little chair was far away at the end.

Wren carried the acorn cup to the little chair. Wren held it in both paws. Wren walked slowly. Pop. The cup fell and rolled away under the chair.

"Shhh, shhh," said Ada. "That's all right. Try again, Wren."

So Wren tried a new way. Wren put the cup on the floor and pushed it with a nose. Roll, roll, roll went the cup, quick as a bug. Bump. It rolled into a leaf and stopped.

"Shhh, shhh," said Ada. "That's all right. Try again, Wren."

Wren sat down and thought. Wren looked at the leaf. Leaves were flat. Leaves were smooth. Leaves slid. Then Wren looked at the cup. The cup was round. Round things rolled.

Wren tried another way. Wren set the cup on a leaf and pulled the leaf along the table. Shhh, shhh went the leaf. The cup rode on top, round and steady. The leaf slid all the way to the little chair. Wren set the cup down. It stayed.

"Shhh, shhh," said Ada. "You tried again. You did it, Wren."

Wren's ears felt warm. Wren's tail went wiggly. "I did it," said Wren. "The leaf did the sliding."

Ada put her paws together and smiled at Wren. Wren's whiskers went up and down.

Outside the window, the autumn leaves went shhh, shhh. They slid down the path and piled up like a soft orange blanket.

Then the sleepy dragon woke up. The dragon was no bigger than a cat, and it slept by the tall clock all day. It yawned a big round yawn. "Yaaawn." Wren yawned too. Ada yawned too.

Everyone sat down at the table. The plates were leaves. The cups were acorns. Ada said, "On thanksgiving, we say one thing we are thankful for."

Ada was thankful for warm bread and honey. The dragon was thankful for the quiet clock. Wren looked at the little cup on the little leaf.

"I'm thankful for my cup," said Wren. "And I'm thankful for another try."

The candles made a soft gold light. It fell on the leaf plates and the warm bread.

After supper, Ada gave Wren a warm bath. The water went splish, splish. The bubbles went pop, pop. Wren's tail floated. Ada wrapped Wren in a soft towel and then in a soft blanket.

Wren held the cuddly owl. The moon came up at the window, round and white. The candles went low, one, then two, then three.

The room grew dim and quiet. The castle hummed, slow and low. Ada hummed a slow song about leaves. Shhh, shhh. "Try again tomorrow, little Wren," said Ada. Wren's eyes went shut.

Shhh, shhh.