Room Beside the Purple Bow

Nico the raccoon kit sat beneath the willow with his friend Mara and three other children. They were tying ribbons around little bundles of fallen twigs. Mara had chosen a purple ribbon with two floppy loops. She wanted to tie the bow herself, so she could carry her bundle home without anyone holding it together.

When Mara lifted her paws, one loop drooped over the other. Nico laughed. Two children laughed too, and Nico made his laugh louder. For a moment, being part of the laughter felt warm. Then Mara covered the bow with her paw.

"I worked hard on that," she said. Her ears folded down. "I thought you would want to see."

Nico's cheeks grew hot beneath his fur. "Everyone laughed," he said. "It wasn't only me."

Mara looked down at her bundle. Nico tucked his paws under his knees. He felt embarrassed, and underneath that was a small, prickly worry. If he admitted he had hurt her, would the others laugh at him next?

"I'm not apologizing," he said, although nobody had asked him to.

Aunt Fern was sorting twigs nearby. She moved a basket between the children so they both had room.

"I'll be here," she said, and went on sorting.