Nina's red sneakers began to walk all by themselves. Tap, tap, tap across the cobblestone street. She had to run to keep up! She let out a surprised giggle.
The sneakers marched straight into the forest. They stopped at a rushing stream and refused the rickety bridge. Nina stomped her foot on a wet leaf. Ribbit! A frog hopped away.
The shoes marched back to the forest's edge, heading toward a dark tunnel under an old stone wall. They stopped at the mouth. Nina stared into the shadows. Then she heard a tiny squeak.
Through the darkness, Nina spotted a trembling baby hedgehog trapped on the other side. Its tiny voice cried out for help. Nina took a deep breath.
Nina stepped into the tunnel on her own. She heard her shoes stay perfectly quiet behind her. Her fingers gently wrapped around the hedgehog's soft belly.
She carried the hedgehog out into the sunlight and set it down on a patch of clover. The baby hedgehog sniffed the air and wobbled on its feet.
Nina looked back at the tunnel entrance. Her red sneakers sat quietly there, still as stones. She walked back and slipped them on.
Nina wiggled her toes inside the cozy shoes. This time, they only walked when she told them to. She took a step forward, then another. Tap, tap, tap.
They marched past the bakery with its striped awning and flower boxes. Nina waved to the baker through the window. The shoes kept pace with her happy strides.
Nina's red sneakers marched through the forest again, but this time they followed her lead. They stopped at the rushing stream, and she crossed the wooden bridge safely.
At the forest's edge, Nina turned toward home. The sneakers tapped a cheerful rhythm on the cobblestones. She knew they would go wherever she asked.
Tap, tap, tap went Nina's red sneakers all the way home. They were her friends now, ready for any adventure she chose.
