Giggle Grove and Marshmallow Falls
A grove that forgot what was funny, and a marshmallow you can only catch by being gentle.
A grove that forgot what was funny, a sneeze that fixed it, and a marshmallow that will not be grabbed.
Tako and the little girl followed the path past the lemonade stand.
On the left was a signpost with painted arrows.
Giggle Grove Marshmallow Falls Bubble Lake Starlight Forest Nap Nook Dreamy Dunes
Tako looked at all the arrows.
Then he turned around in a full circle.
Then he looked at the arrows again.
Tako
Hm. I know exactly where to go.
He pointed confidently in the wrong direction.
The little girl giggled.
Tako
Tako, that says Nap Nook.
Tako gasped.
Tako
Nap Nook? Oh no. If we go there first, I might accidentally take a heroic tiny nap.
So they turned toward Giggle Grove.
Giggle Grove was full of flowers shaped like bells, stars, socks, and upside-down teacups.
The trees had curly branches.
The grass was so soft that every step made a tiny sound:
boop.
boop.
But the grove was very quiet.
Too quiet.
Tako frowned.
Tako
Giggle Grove is supposed to giggle.
The little girl stepped closer to a purple flower.
Tako
Hello, flower.
The flower blinked.
Then it made a very serious face.
A little flower
Good evening.
Tako gasped.
Tako
Good evening? Flowers in Giggle Grove do not say good evening. They say hee-hee and hoo-hoo and sometimes banana-pajamas!
The little girl knelt down.
Tako
Why aren’t you giggling?
The purple flower sighed.
A little flower
We forgot what was funny.
Tako placed both paws on his cheeks.
Tako
Oh no. A very serious problem!
The little girl thought.
Then she made her funniest face.
She puffed her cheeks.
She crossed her eyes.
She wiggled her nose.
Nothing happened.
The flowers watched politely.
Then Tako tried.
He stood on one foot, spun in a circle, and sneezed so hard that his fuzzy fur went:
Now Tako looked twice as round as before.
The purple flower twitched.
A blue flower made a tiny snort.
A yellow flower whispered:
A little flower
He looks like a walking dandelion pancake.
Then one flower giggled.
Then another.
Then ten.
Then a hundred.
Soon all of Giggle Grove was laughing.
Hee-hee! Hoo-hoo! Tee-tee-tee! Banana-pajamas!
The giggles floated into the air as golden bubbles.
The little girl held out her hands, and one giggle bubble landed softly in her palm.
Tako nodded.
Tako
One giggle from Giggle Grove. Collected!
The golden bubble bounced into a tiny glass bottle Tako carried in his backpack.
Next, they went to Marshmallow Falls.
They followed the river until they heard a soft, fluffy sound.
Not splash.
Not crash.
But:
Marshmallow Falls poured down from a floating pink cloud.
Instead of water, soft marshmallows tumbled gently into a blue lake below.
Little marshmallow ducks floated on the water.
They had tiny beaks and sleepy eyes.
Mallow. Mallow. Mallow.
The little girl reached for one marshmallow.
But the moment she touched it, it bounced away.
Boing!
She tried another.
Boing!
And another.
Boing-boing!
Tako scratched his fuzzy head.
Tako
Marshmallows are very shy at night.
A marshmallow duck paddled closer.
It wore a tiny leaf as a hat.
The duck in the leaf hat
To catch a marshmallow, you must be softer than soft.
The little girl whispered, “How soft is softer than soft?”
The marshmallow duck smiled.
The duck in the leaf hat
Like a bedtime hug. Like a sleepy yawn. Like a blanket saying goodnight.
So the little girl sat by the lake.
She made her hands gentle.
She made her voice gentle.
She whispered:
The little dream traveller
Little marshmallow, you don’t have to run. We only need one soft piece of dream.
A small marshmallow floated closer.
Then closer.
Then it climbed right into her hands.
It was warm and soft and smelled like vanilla clouds.
Tako carefully placed it into the second little bottle.
Tako
One soft marshmallow from Marshmallow Falls. Collected!
The little girl smiled.
Tako
Now we need the sleepy wish.
Tako pointed to the pink tree glowing in the distance.
Under its branches sat the unicorn bench.
And on the unicorn bench, someone was waiting.