The Stepping Stones

The rain had finally stopped, but the forest was still very wet. Every single leaf and blade of grass wore a tiny, sparkling crown of water.

Mia stood at the edge of the rushing stream. The water was much wider than it had been yesterday. It bubbled and splashed over the rocks, making a loud, busy whoosh-whoosh sound.

The sky above the tall treetops was turning a soft, dusty purple. The sun was going down, and the shadows under the trees were growing long and wiggly. Mia felt a little flutter of worry in her tummy. She did not like the dark very much. When the shadows grew long, her heart always beat a little bit faster, like a tiny drum.

"How will we get across, Maple?" Mia asked. Her voice sounded very small against the sound of the rushing water.

Inside her deep coat pocket, something wiggled. Pip, the tiny baby squirrel they had rescued, poked his nose out. He let out a soft, shivering squeak. Mia gently patted his fuzzy head with her finger.

"It is okay, Pip," Mia whispered, trying to sound brave for her little friend. "We will find a way."

Maple the fox stepped closer. Her bright orange fur was warm and colorful against the dark green ferns. She brushed her soft, fluffy side against Mia’s leg. Maple was a very clever fox, and she knew all the secret paths of the forest.

Maple trotted along the muddy bank of the stream. She sniffed the damp air and looked at the rushing water. Then, she stopped and turned back to Mia. Maple let out a soft, happy chirp. She pointed her black nose toward the middle of the stream.

Mia walked over to see what Maple had found.

There, stretching all the way across the water, was a row of big, flat rocks. They looked like giant gray pancakes sitting in the stream. The top of each stone was dry and smooth. They looked just like a path of stepping stones made just for them.

Maple did not hesitate. She hopped gracefully onto the first stone. Hop! Her paws made a soft, dry tap sound. She looked back at Mia, her dark eyes shining with encouragement.

You can do it, Maple’s eyes seemed to say.

Mia took a deep breath. She looked down at her pocket. "Are you ready, Pip?" she asked.

Pip tucked his head back down into the warm pocket, curling into a tight, safe little ball. Mia patted the outside of her pocket to make sure he was cozy and secure.

"Okay," Mia said to herself. "Just one step at a time."

Mia placed her right boot onto the first stepping stone. The stone was cold, but it did not wiggle. It was very steady. Mia pulled her left foot off the muddy bank and stood fully on the first stone.

"I did it," she whispered.

Maple took another hop forward onto the second stone. Hop!

Mia focused on Maple’s calm, friendly eyes. She did not look down at the rushing, bubbling water. She only looked at her gentle fox friend.

Mia took another step. Clonk. Her boot made a solid, safe sound on the second stone.

Then she stepped onto the third stone. The water was louder here. It splashed tiny, cool droplets onto her ankles. The twilight was growing deeper, and the water looked like a shiny, dark ribbon twisting through the trees. Mia felt her knees shake just a little bit.

Just look at Maple, Mia reminded herself.

She took a deep breath and stepped onto the fourth stone, right in the middle of the stream.

But this stone was smaller than the others. It was a little bit rounder, and a patch of slippery green moss grew on the side.

As soon as Mia’s boot touched the wet moss, her foot began to slide.

"Oh!" Mia gasped.

Her arms went out wide to her sides like the wings of a baby bird trying to fly. She wobbled to the left. She wobbled to the right. The rushing water seemed to spin beneath her. Her heart did a giant thump. She was losing her balance!

Mia reached her hand into her pocket to steady herself. Her fingers brushed against something smooth and cool. It was her special silver leaf, the beautiful one she had found at the very start of their journey.

Suddenly, a soft light began to shine from her pocket. The silver leaf was glowing! It cast a warm, gentle light right onto the stones in front of her. The glow was so bright and steady that the dark shadows of the twilight seemed to melt away.

Mia looked at the steady silver light. She stopped looking at the moving water. She looked at the solid, dry path lit up right before her feet.

She took a slow, deep breath. She pressed her boot down firmly on the dry, clean part of the stone.

Her wobbly legs grew strong. She stood up straight and tall.

She had not fallen. She was safe.

Maple gave a happy little bark from the far bank. She was already across, waiting with her tail wagging like a happy flag.

Mia smiled. The fear in her tummy turned into a warm, bubbly feeling of excitement.

She took another step. Clonk.

And then another. Clonk.

With one final, happy hop, Mia’s boots landed on the soft, dry grass of the far bank.

She had made it!

Mia looked back at the wide, rushing stream. The water was still bubbling and the twilight was still growing dark, but she was not afraid anymore. She had crossed the water all by herself, even in the evening light.

"We did it, Maple!" Mia laughed.

She knelt down and gave Maple a big, gentle hug. Maple’s fur was warm and smelled like clean rain and pine needles. Pip popped his tiny head out of Mia’s pocket and let out a happy chatter, as if he was cheering for her, too. Mia felt so proud. She was much braver than she thought.

---

Mia stood up and looked ahead.

Just across the stream, the thick, dark woods suddenly opened up. The crowded trees ended, and a beautiful, wide meadow lay before them. The tall grass swayed gently in the cool evening breeze.

But the twilight was getting deeper, and the sky was now a dark, starry blue. Far out in the middle of the meadow, still a short walk away through the deep evening, stood the giant, quiet shape of the Grand Oak.