Ollie Becomes a Branch

Ollie the tawny frogmouth likes things exactly so: every feather in its place, his moss bed lined up with the sunset. And when the world refuses to cooperate, he has one trick — he becomes a branch. He holds his breath, shuts his eyes and freezes into a stubborn little piece of wood until the trouble goes away.

Then the storm comes. Ollie grips his favourite branch and tells the wind he is part of the tree, the strongest branch of all, and it cannot blow him away. Crack. The branch breaks, the moss bed is soaked, the nuts wash away, and Ollie is so stiff he can't even say good morning.

It takes Lumi the blue squirrel, a cup of eucalyptus nectar and a truly silly game of "who looks most like a branch" to thaw him out — and then Lumi points at the jagged scar where the wood snapped. Three tiny pink leaves are sprouting there. "Look closer. It's choosing to smile." Some old branches have to say goodbye, or the new leaves have nowhere to say hello.