Stories to follow · Chapter 3
The Bell That Slept
The gate bell rings perfectly well, so why hasn't the visitor used it? While Coco and Mimi look for a fault, an unexpected question comes from beyond the leaves.
Original fiction · Ages 7–10 · Read together with a guardian
Scene 01
A Quiet Gatekeeper
The day after clearing the bench, Coco swept beside the garden gate and looked up at the little brass bell on its wooden post. Friends sometimes pulled its cord to say they had arrived.
But Coco had never heard the visitor beyond the leaves ring it. Coco stood the broom aside and examined the cord. “Could the rain have damaged it?”
Mimi tilted their head from inside the gate, a watering can in their paws. The pale brown cord hung still beneath the bell. The gate was half open again today.
Scene 02
A Different Cord?
Coco checked whether the cord had caught on the post. It was neither tangled nor broken. The end hung low enough for Coco to reach with an outstretched paw.
“Could it be too high?” Mimi took a spare cord from the pouch. “Shall we use a longer one?” Coco tilted their head. Neither of them had asked the visitor about the cord.
“Let's hear it before we change anything.” Mimi set the watering can down inside the gate and came out beside Coco. Coco gently took hold of the cord.
Scene 03
Not Sleeping Late
Ding. One small pull made a clear little sound. Coco let go and peered inside the bell. It moved just as it should. Mimi nodded too.
“So it isn't sleeping late every morning,” Coco said. Mimi laughed. “I almost went to find it a blanket.” They giggled at the thought of a blanket just big enough for a bell.
As their laughter faded, the rustle of leaves returned. Coco left the cord alone. They had come looking for something to mend, but could not find a fault.
Scene 04
If I Ring It, Must I?
Then a voice came from beyond the leaves outside the gate. “Can I ask something?” It was the visitor who had asked them to keep the bench shaded yesterday.
“Yes,” Coco said. “If I ring that bell, do I have to come into the garden?” Coco lowered a paw that had been reaching for the cord. Mimi's ears turned toward the voice.
“The other friends ring it and go in. Some days I only want to go to the bench.” The visitor paused. “I didn't know if I could ring it without coming in.”
Scene 05
One Ding, Two Ideas
Coco looked from the bell to the half-open gate. “I thought it just meant, ‘Hello, I'm here.’” “I thought it meant, ‘I'm coming in now,’” came the answer from beyond the leaves.
Mimi crouched beside the low stone. “And I was going to change the cord. I didn't know we meant different things.” The spare cord went back into Mimi's pouch.
“If you want to say hello to us, ring it once,” Coco said. “You can say hello from outside and go on your way.” “I'd like to try that today,” the visitor said. This time, it was their idea.
Scene 06
Hello from Outside
“I'll try first.” Coco gave the cord one gentle pull from outside the gate. Ding. Mimi started to pick up the watering can inside, then put it down and raised a paw. “Hello, Coco!”
Instead of coming in, Coco stepped aside toward the side path. “Hello. I'm going to sweep out here.” Mimi smiled and picked up the watering can again.
Coco reached for the broom. “If I'm busy watering and don't hear, we can say hello when we meet later,” Mimi said. A leaf dropped out of the broom. Coco laughed. “That leaf is saying hello and going on its way too.”
Scene 07
A Hello That Stayed Outside
Coco was gathering fallen leaves, and Mimi was watering dry soil, when they heard it. Ding. Both paused and looked toward the gate. The familiar little voice followed.
“Hello. I'll rest at the bench today.” Coco stood the broom aside. “Hello. The shady end is clear today too.” Mimi set down the watering can and returned the greeting.
No footsteps crossed the doorstep. Coco put the last leaves in the basket without calling the visitor in. The hello from outside had reached them just fine.
Scene 08
Where the Leaf Came From
When the work was done, Coco spread the leaf drawing on the little table beside the gate. Mimi stood nearby. “Shall we draw the way to the bench too?” Coco began adding a small bench and a bending path.
A little later, the visitor returned from a rest at the bench and spoke from beyond the leaves. “I left that leaf on the latch. I found it under the crooked tree behind the bench.” Coco's pencil stopped. “Oh! That's where it came from.”
Coco added a small crooked tree behind the bench. Where the path went next was still blank. Mimi held the paper steady, and Coco's pencil began moving again. The bell was quiet. Today's hello had already arrived.
At the end of the story