Rustle, Rustle — Who Is There?

Only 27 days until Halloween! The two paper ghosts from yesterday waved on the garden fence. Yellow and red leaves lay on the path below them. Flauschi set out a small basket. Flauschi“We will only collect loose leaves from the clear path,” she said. Flauschi“Then everyone can reach our party easily.”

Puschel put a brown acorn on the low garden table. He had found it on the path and wanted to look closely at its little cap later. Beside the whole pumpkin, it looked tiny. Puschel“Wait here,” he said, and got to work.

The two friends carried some dry leaves to the basket. A few still lay in a small, open pile beside the path. Then they heard: rustle, rustle. Puschel stopped. Flauschi pricked up her ears. Flauschi“Was that you?” Puschel“No,” whispered Puschel. Puschel“Perhaps a party guest has arrived already!”

There was another rustle. One leaf twitched. Puschel carefully leaned forward and peered around the few leaves. Puschel“Hello? Would you like to join our party?” He stayed on the clear path. He did not look inside the thick bushes beside the fence. Everything there should stay undisturbed.

Flauschi spotted something brown at the edge of a leaf. Flauschi“Our guest is wearing a cap!” she said, pointing to it. Puschel blinked. Then he laughed. It was the acorn! Puschel“Oh, you rolled off the table!” His tail had nudged it while he was collecting leaves. The acorn had tumbled over the edge and slowly rolled through the dry leaves.

Flauschi picked it up. Flauschi“A very quiet party guest.” Puschel“And without an invitation!” giggled Puschel. This time he put the acorn in a small bowl on the table. It could not roll away so easily there. The friends collected the last loose leaves. They left everything under the bushes and in old leaf piles where it was.

Later, Flauschi gently crumpled a piece of leftover craft paper. Rustle, rustle. Puschel closed his eyes. Puschel“A tiny paper breeze?” Flauschi“Almost!” said Flauschi. Now it was his turn to make a sound. His paper crackled so softly that they moved closer together.

The ghosts waved on the fence, the path was clear, and the acorn rested in its bowl. Flauschi“Today we found a new party sound,” said Flauschi. Puschel nodded. Puschel“A friendly rustle. That is quite enough for me.” Together, they listened for a little longer to the real leaves in the breeze.