The Quietest Game: story transcript
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The Quietest Game
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Nell had a new game for the garden. "Let’s listen for the tiniest sound," she told Pip. She sat beside a flowerpot and held very still. Pip sat too. His ears drooped; his tail, however, had plans of its own.
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Thump! Pip’s tail tapped the flowerpot. Nell glanced at him. Pip glanced at his tail, as if it belonged to another puppy. "That was a rather big sound," Nell whispered. Pip tucked his tail beneath him. At last, the pot was quiet.
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Nell heard a bee somewhere beyond the fence. Pip heard it too. He took one tiny step toward Nell, and his paw found a dry leaf. CRUNCH. He lifted that paw. The other paw found another leaf. CRUNCH. Pip sat down quickly.
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"Perhaps our ears can do the looking," Nell whispered. She closed her eyes. Pip closed his eyes. For a moment, neither of them moved. Then something feathery drifted past Pip’s nose. His nose wrinkled once. It wrinkled twice.
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Pip sneezed. The flowerpot gave a little rattle as his tail jumped. Nell opened one eye. Pip looked so surprised by his own nose that Nell almost laughed. Instead, she put a finger to her lips and whispered, "Shhh."
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A feathery seed landed on Nell’s nose. She tried to keep very still. Her nose disagreed. Her shoulders bobbed. Her eyes squeezed shut. "Ah—AH—ACHOO!" The sound sent a bird fluttering from the fence. Pip stared at Nell with shining eyes.
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"Well," Nell said, "that was bigger than your sneeze." Pip gave a delighted wiggle, but Nell’s finger was still near her lips. He pressed his tail carefully against the ground. Nell waited until the bird settled again. Then they listened together.
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The bee had gone. The leaves stayed where they were. Even Pip’s nose behaved. Nell could hear him breathing beside her, soft and steady. Pip’s floppy ear brushed her arm. Neither one tried to move it. Then, between them, something landed.
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It was one little leaf. Nell had heard it touch the ground. Pip had heard it too; both his ears tipped forward. He leaned over, very slowly, and nudged the leaf into Nell’s lap with the end of his nose.
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Nell looked at the leaf. She looked at Pip. "We heard it!" she said, and laughed. Pip sat up tall, pleased with himself. Then he gave one enormous, proud BARK! The flowerpot rattled. Nell laughed so hard that Pip’s tail joined in.
