A Roof and a Waiting Stone

Orla the beaver kit had built a twig castle beside the pond. It had a wide doorway and a tiny room for a smooth white pebble. Now it needed its roof. The bark roof was too broad for the little cart, but the toy crane could lift it.

Her friend Finn was using the crane to stack logs. Orla stood close, watching its wooden hook. When he turned the handle, she moved with him. She wanted to ask for the next turn, but the words felt stuck behind her teeth.

Moss the rabbit arrived with three flat stones. "Could I build a bridge here? I'll need the crane for this big one." Orla planted her paws beside the crane's wheels. "No. We're building my castle. Nobody else can join." She pulled the bark roof closer.

"I'm still using it," Finn said, keeping one paw on the handle. Orla gripped the crane's base. Her belly tightened, and her cheeks felt hot beneath her fur. She was worried and jealous. If Moss got a turn, would her roof ever go on?

Mama sat nearby, sorting willow twigs. "There's room beside me for those stones," she told Moss. She shifted her basket and waited while he chose where to put them. She did not reach for the crane. Orla kept her paws pressed against its wheels.