For a moment Poppy just stood and stared, trying to take in the scene before her. Six empty bins sat on a long table. There was nothing else in the room.

She began to dart around like a hungry hummingbird. From one corner to another she flew. She circled all around the empty bins and then dove under the table. There wasn’t so much as a single seed anywhere.

She landed and stood looking all about her. She felt shaken and confused. What had happened to her seeds?

After a moment she noticed the floor was covered with marks. They weren’t footprints, she kept the shed too clean for any dust to collect. They were scuff marks and they were all over. She examined them carefully and decided they were made by something much bigger than she was. But she had no idea what kind of creature it might be.

There were endless possibilities. Everyone in the Fairy Realm knew Poppy scattered wildflower seeds in the meadow.

  

 

 

 

She stepped outside and began to walk along the branch until she reached the tree trunk. Then she moved to the branch below, and then the one below that, as she searched and searched for clues. When at last she found herself on the ground, she started walking in circles around the tree. Just as she decided the next round would be her last, she heard a sound.

BURP!

 

 

 

 

 

The sound of raindrops woke Poppy from a sound sleep. A quick glance at the window showed that the rain she had been waiting for was cascading down the glass. The first April shower had begun at last.

She leaped out of bed, and raced across the room for a better view. Grey clouds stretched across the sky as far as her eyes could see. The wind flung raindrops in all directions, while occasional sun beams pierced the grey to shine on the ground. This was going to be a perfect day to scatter seeds! Her head was already filled with images of the beautiful wildflowers that would fill the meadow in summer.

 

But first she had to plant the seeds.  And she needed to hurry. For the snow had lasted longer than usual this year, and it was nearly May. It wasn’t going to be easy to get the planting finished in time for the flowers to bloom in June.

She dressed in a flash. In no time at all she had pulled on a sky-blue shirt and her favorite green overalls. She washed her face, combed her hair, ate a blueberry muffin, grabbed her raincoat, and put on her gardening boots. This fairy was ready for action.

The first day of Spring planting was Poppy’s favorite day of the year.  All winter she tended her seeds, keeping them warm and dry, ready to plant as soon as the first shower arrived. That first shower was finally here.

She hurried out the front door of her tree house cottage and flew to the storage shed in the branches high above.  Carefully she unlocked the door and stepped inside. She reached over and gently woke the glow worm who provided light for the inside of the shed. As his glow lit the room, Poppy gasped. The bins were empty! There wasn’t a seed in sight!