The Animals of Little Meadow, Part 8: The Leaf Carpet

The Animals of Little Meadow, Part 8: The Leaf Carpet

The Story Begins

It was an autumn morning on Little Meadow. Yellow, brown, and red leaves lay between the blades of grass. The wind slowly carried them from the trees and laid them on the ground.

Most of the leaves lay on a small path that led past the bushes to an old tree. The path was almost hidden from view.

Timo the Bunny stopped beside it. His soft paws sank into the leaves up to his ankles.

“Oh!” he said, straightening his little vest. “This path is completely covered. We should tidy it up.”

Liza the Squirrel jumped from a low branch straight into the leaves. They flew in every direction.

“I like them!” she laughed. “They rustle like little pieces of paper.”

Bobo the Hedgehog slowly rolled along the path. A large maple leaf landed on his spines like a hat.

“There really are a lot of them,” said Bobo. “Maybe I can carry some on my back.”

A soft hoo-hoo sounded from above. Uma the Little Owl sat on an old branch, with tiny glasses perched on her beak. She looked at the meadow, the leaves, and Timo, who had already fetched a small broom.

“Let’s take a good look first,” she suggested calmly.

Timo nodded, but held the broom tightly. He liked clean paths. When a path was straight and clear, everyone knew where to go.

Liza was scratching around near the tree root. Suddenly, she stopped hopping.

“Do you hear that?” she whispered.

Everyone grew still.

From beneath a dry pile of leaves came a soft rustle: shush-shush.

Bobo carefully tilted his head. “Maybe it’s the wind?”

“The wind is blowing high in the branches now,” said Uma. “This rustling is very low down.”

Very gently, Liza lifted one leaf. A tiny brown beetle moved beneath it. Beside it were two more little beetles, curled up near a thin, dry twig.

“Oh!” breathed Liza. “They live there.”

A small centipede was hiding beneath another leaf. Nearby was a soft little place made of grass, moss, and leaves. It was quiet, warm, and pleasantly dark.

Bobo sat beside the pile so that he would not accidentally prick it. “Under the leaves, it’s like being under a blanket,” he said softly.

Timo looked at the beetles. Then he looked at the broom. Finally, he looked at the whole path, where leaves lay in big heaps.

“If we leave them there,” he thought aloud, “the path will still be full of leaves. If we carry them away, it will be nice and clean again.”

He was just about to sweep a big pile towards the bushes when another tiny rustle came from beneath it.

Timo froze.

“Maybe there are more beetles under the leaves,” said Liza.

“And maybe someone is just resting there,” Bobo added.

Uma flew down to a lower branch. “Leaves are not just something to clear away,” she said gently. “For small creatures, they can be a warm home.”

The bunny lowered his ears. He did not want to take away anyone’s home. At the same time, he did not want his friends to trip over the leaves.

“But how will we walk along the path?” he asked.

For a while, everyone thought. Liza looked to the right, Bobo looked to the left, and Uma blinked calmly.

Then the squirrel jumped high into the air. “I know! We don’t have to clear everything away. We’ll make a little path down the middle!”

Bobo pointed with his paw towards the edges of the meadow. “And we can leave the leaves by the bushes and under the tree. The beetles will have a soft carpet there.”

When Things Start to Change

Timo looked at his broom again. This time, he smiled.

“Then we’ll tidy up carefully,” he said. “Only as much as we need to.”

First, they chose a narrow path. Timo gently swept the leaves from its middle towards the sides. He moved slowly with every sweep so that no one beneath the leaves would be frightened.

Meanwhile, Liza picked up the leaves one by one. She carried the ones that lay on the path over to the bushes. Her fluffy tail swayed like a little broom.

Bobo found three large oak leaves. Very slowly, he loaded them onto his spines and carried them beneath the tree. On the way, one leaf slipped down over his eyes.

“I can’t see the path!” he laughed.

“The path is right in front of you,” Timo called. “Just step by step!”

After a while, a narrow strip of earth appeared between the leaves. It was not wide, but it was enough for little paws, spines, and quiet owl claws.

By the bushes, though, a wide brown-and-gold carpet remained. Round leaves, small twigs, and soft moss lay along its edge. Uma made sure that no one took leaves away from the quiet hiding places.

Suddenly, a tiny beetle peeked out from beneath one leaf. It walked along the edge of the carpet, stopped, and hid under another leaf.

“Did you see that?” Bobo said happily. “It found a place.”

Timo sat down beside the path. It no longer looked buried. It was clean and safe for walking. Right next to it, the leaves rustled softly and sheltered the small creatures.

“It’s lovely,” said the bunny. “The path is clear, and the leaves have stayed where someone needs them.”

Liza lay down at the edge of the leaf carpet. “And they rustle beautifully, too!”

Warm autumn light fell across the meadow. A tiny beetle wing flashed between the leaves, and a soft rustling came from the grass.

Uma smiled contentedly. “A little leaf blanket has remained on Little Meadow for other tiny helpers, too.”

Timo set the broom beside the path, and he and his friends looked at the soft leaf carpet for a little while longer.

Today, a soft leaf carpet and a little path helped Little Meadow by leaving a home for tiny helpers.