Pippa trotted along Peppercup Passage with her tail held high, pretending the whole lane had been arranged for her morning walk. Tiny brass bells tinkled from the doorways, and flour dust shimmered on the stones under her paws. Ahead, she could hear the bakery cart rolling in from one end of the narrow bend, its cups and jars clinking in a tidy little song. From the other end came the soft swish of Tilo’s lantern-sweep broom, brushing the lane clean before the day grew busy.
Pippa liked being in the middle of important things, especially when someone might notice how quick and helpful she was. She darted toward the bend to look first, hoping to be applauded for keeping things smooth. But when she reached the far turn, Mina’s tea cart was already nosing in from one side, and Tilo’s broom line was arriving from the other. Mina, a small girl in a striped apron with flour on her cheeks, leaned over her cart and said, “I’m first here.” Tilo, with his round spectacles and brass watchmaker’s vest, rested his broom and said, “The sweep begins now.”
The bend was too narrow for both at once. The tea cart’s wheel bumped the wall. The broom bristles caught on a doorstep. Pippa’s bell gave a nervous little jingle as she looked from Mina to Tilo and saw the passage tighten around them. If she wanted the lane to keep moving, she would have to choose who to help through first.
What happens next?
Sign in to rate
