The Little Squirrel and the One-More Roll

Little Squirrel carried an empty wooden cotton reel into the clearing. It was almost as wide as both her paws.

“Let's make it roll!”

Toad lifted one end of a broad plank onto a low log. Dormouse put a shallow wooden tray at the bottom.

Their game was ready.

“I'd like to try a tiny push,” said Dormouse.

“I'm going to roll it backwards,” said Toad.

Squirrel tipped her head. “How will it know?”

“It will know,” said Toad.

They giggled.

“May I go first?” Squirrel asked.

Her friends nodded.

Squirrel set the reel on its round edges and gave it a push.

Down it trundled.

Clack! Into the tray!

Her tail sprang up.

“Did you see?”

Dormouse held out his paws, but Squirrel scooped up the reel.

“Just one more!”

This time she pushed harder. The reel wobbled, bounced into the grass and landed by Toad's toes.

Toad reached for it.

“I can fetch it!” Squirrel said.

Before he could answer, she had whisked it back to the top.

“Then us?” asked Dormouse.

“Yes. Just one more.”

The next roll made a lovely rattling sound. Squirrel wanted to hear it again.

Dormouse's paws sank to his sides.

“I haven't had my tiny push.”

“Or my backwards one,” said Toad.

Squirrel was already lining up the reel.

“In a moment!”

Dormouse and Toad looked at each other. Then they stepped away.

Squirrel rolled. She fetched. She rolled again.

Each time, the tray rattled.

“Listen to this one!” she called.

Nobody was beside the ramp.

Across the clearing, Dormouse was standing inside Toad's shadow. Toad hopped, and Dormouse hopped after him.

Squirrel picked up the reel.

Now she could have every go.

She held it still.

She walked over to her friends with the reel tucked against her tummy.

“Would you like to come back?”

Dormouse looked at it.

“Will we get a go?”

Squirrel rubbed one smooth wooden edge.

She had wanted another rattle. She still did.

“I kept taking your turns,” she said. “I'm sorry.”

Squirrel held the reel out to Dormouse.

“You go next.”

He took it in both paws.

“One go each?” asked Toad.

“One go each,” said Squirrel.

They returned to the ramp together. Squirrel sat beside the tray, with her paws in her lap, while Dormouse set the reel at the top.

Dormouse gave his tiny push.

The reel crept down the plank.

It slowed. It leaned.

Squirrel's paws twitched, but she waited.

Clack.

The smallest clack of all.

Dormouse smiled. Squirrel lifted the reel from the tray and passed it to Toad.

“Your backwards one,” she said.

Toad faced away from the ramp and peered between his knees.

He nudged the reel behind him.

Rattle-clack!

He turned round so quickly that he sat down with a plop.

“Definitely backwards,” said Dormouse.

Squirrel laughed until her tail shook.

Then Toad fetched the reel and gave it to her.

Squirrel pushed. The reel tipped sideways and rolled off the plank.

Her paw darted after it.

“Just one—”

She stopped.

Dormouse was waiting.

Squirrel picked up the reel and placed it in his paws.

“Your go.”

She settled beside Toad to watch.

Dormouse's next roll went slowly, slowly down.

Squirrel watched it all the way.

Clack!

“Did you see?” he asked.

Squirrel's tail sprang up.

“Oh, yes!”