A Gift for the Wood

Puschel stopped on the woodland path. A golden leaf lay near his feet, with a small cone beside it. Sunlight slipped between the trees and made the leaf’s edges glow. Puschel“That would look lovely in our Christmas box.” He did not reach for it. First, he took a good look.

Flauschi came to stand beside him. Both stayed on the path, and the leaf stayed on the ground before them. Flauschi“It looks lovely right here too.” Puschel looked from the leaf to the cone, then up at the green spruce branches. She was right. The wood had made itself a cosy little corner without any help from them.

Puschel“So we aren’t taking anything home today?” Flauschi“Perhaps a memory.” Puschel frowned thoughtfully. He had carried plenty of things, but he had never seen a memory in a paw. Carefully, he held out his empty hand and studied it. It looked just as empty as before.

Flauschi smiled and held an open paw towards the ground. Flauschi“Look at the colours. And listen for a moment.” Something rustled softly among the branches. A patch of sunlight moved across the fallen leaves. Puschel rested one paw against his chest and lowered the other. The golden leaf and the little cone stayed untouched.

He remembered the bright leaf tips, the brown cone and Flauschi’s contented face. Then he closed his eyes for a brief moment. The picture was still there in his mind. Puschel“It fits! Without folding anything.” Flauschi giggled. They would need neither a box nor an especially large shelf for this memory.

For a while, they simply stood there. Puschel did not have to own every beautiful thing for it to be part of his day. The leaf could keep glowing here. The cone could stay where it lay. The little corner looked just as it had before they arrived. Only the two friends felt a little richer.

Puschel“Can leaving something be a present too?” Flauschi“Today, our present to this place is leaving it as it is.” They did not bow or tie a ribbon around a branch. Their small present needed no wrapping. They took one more look before continuing along the familiar path.

As they walked, Puschel thought about their Christmas guests. Later, he could tell them about the golden leaf and how the wood had smelled that day. Puschel“Our box stays a little emptier today, but my story gets fuller.” Flauschi nodded. A lovely place stayed behind them. The path home stretched ahead – and the memory went with them.