Behind the garden shed, Barnaby found a rolled leaf map.
He unrolled it. His whiskers twitched. The paper smelled like damp soil.
A red squirrel, a velvet beetle, and a robin waited by a wooden lever.
The robin hopped backward to clear the path. The beetle tapped the lever with a shiny wing.
Barnaby pushed the lever once. An acorn rolled away and bonked the squirrel's toe.
He pushed a second time. The lever wobbled. Nothing moved.
On the third push, he hopped on with all four paws. The lever tilted with a creak.
A row of watering cans tipped. Rainbows of colored water poured onto the flower beds.
The backyard burst into bright stripes of pink, yellow, and blue. 'Brilliant!' chirped the robin.
The squirrel dropped a dandelion crown on his head. The robin offered him a seed. They settled into the warm sun together.