The Forest of Little Lights, Part 3: Leaves in the Basket

The Forest of Little Lights, Part 3: Leaves in the Basket

The Story Begins

At the edge of the magical forest, the morning was soft as a blanket. Dewdrops sparkled in the grass, and little lanterns slowly woke among the trees. Lily walked along the path in a green raincoat, tiny yellow boots, and a leaf-shaped bag. Beside her floated Glimmer, a small round creature with a golden light that shone a little absent-mindedly today, as if he too were only just opening his eyes.

“I can hear leaves rustling,” said Glimmer, leaning to the right. “Or perhaps to the left. Or… oh, I think I have got myself mixed up again.”

Lily smiled. She always felt good when she was with him, even though she was a little shy herself.

Grandma Little sat at the edge of the forest. Her grey hair was braided, she wore a blue knitted shawl, and a basket rested by her feet. But the basket did not hold only pinecones as it usually did. It was full of leaves. Yellow, red, green, round, pointed, big, and tiny leaves.

Grandma Little sighed, but not sadly. It was more the sort of sigh someone gives when they do not know where to begin.

“Good morning, children,” she said calmly. “The wind has muddled up my leaves. I wanted to take them to their resting places, but now I do not know which one belongs where.”

Lily stopped and looked at the basket. So many colours and shapes were all mixed together. At first, she said nothing. She only held the strap of her little bag more tightly.

Glimmer leaned over the basket.

“Whew,” he said. “This basket is rather like… leafy soup.”

“Exactly so,” Grandma Little said with a laugh. “That is why I need help. Will you help me, children?”

Lily nodded very quietly. Then she noticed Grandma was smiling, so she nodded once more, a little more confidently.

“We will help,” she said.

Grandma Little took a leaf from the basket. It was yellow and had a rounded edge.

“The riddle is easy,” she said. “What is yellow like the sun and round like a little plate? And what is red like an apple and pointed like a tiny star?”

Glimmer thought hard. His light fluttered at first, then shone brighter.

“Leaves!” he cried.

“Yes,” Grandma nodded. “Some leaves have resting places according to their colour. Others have resting places according to their shape. When they return to their places, the forest can breathe again.”

Lily picked up a small twig from the ground and drew two lines in the soft earth.

“The lighter leaves can go here,” she said carefully. “And the darker ones can go here.”

Glimmer was delighted at once. His glow was warm and bright.

“And here will be the round ones,” he added. “And here the pointed ones! I will show them to you nicely, one at a time.”

He began to take leaves from the basket slowly. He held each one in the air for a moment so Lily could look at it closely.

The first leaf was yellow and round. Lily placed it with the yellow, round leaves.

“Correct,” said Grandma Little. “Do you see, Lily? Your eyes notice even the smallest differences.”

Lily smiled softly. Her eyes still lowered a little shyly, but she was no longer afraid.

The second leaf was red and pointed. Lily placed it with the red leaves.

“That one is in the right place too,” said Grandma.

Glimmer flashed a little golden light.

Then Lily took another leaf. It was green, but its edge was wavy. She hesitated for a moment.

“Does it go here?” she asked softly.

“Try looking at both the colour and the shape,” Grandma Little said kindly.

Lily took a breath. She looked at the leaf carefully, slowly, without hurrying.

When Things Start to Change

“With the green ones, but not with the round ones,” she said at last. “Here, with the wavy ones.”

“Wonderful!” cried Grandma, tapping her palm against her knee. “You worked it out all by yourself.”

Glimmer felt important. Perhaps a little too important. He began showing the leaves far too quickly.

“This one goes here! Or there? Or…”

Two little leaves nudged against each other, and one nearly fell from the pile.

Lily caught it quickly.

Glimmer stopped. His light dimmed by the tiniest bit.

“Sorry,” he said. “I am a speedy friend.”

“And I am slow,” Lily whispered. “But we work well together.”

Grandma Little smiled even more widely.

“That is the best way,” she said. “You take your time, you move quickly, and I stay calm. Each of us is a little different, but we are all working together.”

So they went on sorting.

Lily put the green leaves with the green ones, the yellow with the yellow, and the red with the red. She put the round leaves in one pile and the pointed ones in another. First they sorted the leaves by colour, and then by shape. Glimmer shone a soft light so they would not make mistakes. Now and then, Grandma Little added a short riddle.

“Which leaf is like a little boat?” she asked once.

“This one,” said Lily, placing the leaf in the right spot.

“Which one is like a tiny star?” Glimmer asked after a while.

“This one!” Lily laughed.

Then suddenly, a soft chiming came from the grass beside the path.

Chink.

Then another.

Chink, chink.

Lily and Glimmer lifted their heads.

A little lantern began to glow between the blades of grass. It was still very small, but it shone with a soft golden light. Another woke beside it. Then one more.

“Look!” Lily whispered.

Grandma Little nodded.

“The forest likes it when things rest in their proper places,” she said simply. “Then it can shine well.”

It was lovely. Lily no longer felt shy. Sorting the leaves had become a peaceful game. Everything happened quietly, slowly, and beautifully.

Glimmer shone warmer and warmer. His light was so content that little sparks of joy flickered around his ears.

The basket slowly filled again, but no longer with confusion. Now there was order inside it. Yellow leaves lay together, red leaves together, round leaves together, and pointed leaves together. Some had resting places near the edge of the basket, while others lay in small bundles on soft cloth.

When the sorting was nearly finished, Grandma Little placed the last leaf on top.

“And now for the last riddle,” she said softly. “Where do the most colourful leaves sleep when the day is over?”

Lily thought. Glimmer did too. His light trembled a little, but he did not say anything straight away.

Grandma only smiled.

“Perhaps we will find out another time,” she added. “Some secrets need time.”

Lily nodded. She now knew that when someone does not know something at first, there is no need to hurry. It is enough to help, look carefully, and stay calm.

Grandma Little set the basket aside and gently smoothed her shawl with both hands.

“Thank you, children,” she said. “Without you, my basket would still be all muddled.”

“And without you, we would not have known the riddle,” Lily said.

Glimmer glowed with warm, contented light.

“And without Glimmer, I would not have seen which leaf belonged where,” Lily added.

Grandma Little laughed a quiet, pleasant laugh.

“Do you see? Everyone helped in a different way. And that is exactly why it was good.”

When they said goodbye, the little lanterns beside the path blinked gently once more. It was as if they remembered that something lovely had been tidied in the forest today.

An Important Moment

Lily waved to Grandma Little. She was not as shy as she had been that morning. She walked home calmly and proudly. Glimmer floated beside her, and his golden light was soft as warm tea.

Behind them remained the basket full of leaves and the quiet forest riddle beside it. And somewhere among the trees, where the wind rustled only softly, perhaps there was a place where the most colourful leaves rested at night.

And the Forest of Little Lights shone for a little while longer.