One autumn day after school, in the Belleville neighborhood of Paris, Madeline skipped to the park. She was delighted to discover a duo of friendly animals. The puppy, golden, with floppy ears like mud flaps, wanted to play. That is all he hungered for: his worn tennis ball tossed so that he could chase it, chew it. The kitty, smoky gray, with white toes and a ballooned belly, wanted the ribbon on Madeline’s hat that fluttered in the breeze like black butterfly wings. Together, they all ran around, screaming, kicking up the orange and yellow leaves until the stars began to twinkle. Suddenly, Madeline spotted a folded piece of paper peeking upward from the blades of grass. When she unfolded it, the paper opened to the shape of a heart. Scribbled in the center was a phrase that read, “Happy Birthday!” She put it into her pocket, and then threw the ball as far as she could for the puppy.

^{Copyright© | B.Meddlesome | 10 Avril 2008}