Leo swings his red ball through the living room. It goes higher and higher with every toss.
*Thwack!* The ball hits the tall blue vase. It tips, falls, and shatters into five jagged pieces.
Leo stands frozen. The ball rolls slowly to a stop at his bare feet.
Leo scoops up the broken pieces and stuffs them behind the sofa. He drags a throw blanket over the pile.
His mom calls from the kitchen, 'Leo, time for lunch!' He runs to the table but pushes his peas around.
After lunch, Leo tries to play with his blocks, but keeps glancing toward the sofa.
Every time his mom walks by, he pulls the blanket a little tighter over the hidden pieces.
When she picks him up for a hug, he stays very still and doesn't hug back.
Leo climbs off the couch, walks to the sofa, and pulls the blanket away. The blue shards sit there, sharp and obvious.
He picks up the biggest piece and walks to his mom in the kitchen. 'I broke Grandma's vase,' he says.
His hands don't stop shaking. His mom kneels and takes the shard. 'Thank you for telling me, Leo. That took courage.'
They sit on the kitchen floor together, piece by piece, until the vase stands back on the shelf — crooked, but whole.
