A flash of blue! Oliver spotted a shimmering butterfly dancing past the rose bushes. He grabbed Barnaby from the garden bench and took off, sneakers thumping against the green grass.
Oliver ducked under the coiled garden hose and scrambled over the wooden fence, Barnaby pressed tight against his chest. The butterfly zipped over the tall hedge and vanished. Oliver stood on the other side, wildflowers brushing his knees.
He pushed through tall grass into a sunlit meadow bursting with purple, yellow, and white wildflowers. The air smelled sweet like honey. Oliver crouched to watch a bumblebee wrestling with a dandelion.
Barnaby sat propped against a thistle, his stitched smile turned toward the flowers. Oliver reached out a finger toward the blue butterfly circling above. His sneaker caught a bumpy root—and he stumbled forward.
Oliver landed on his hands and knees in the soft grass. His palms were sticky with clover sap. He looked at Barnaby, who was lying face-down in the dirt, and gently picked him up, brushing grass seeds off his fur.
As Oliver set Barnaby upright, he noticed the blue butterfly fluttering near a narrow gap in the old stone wall at the meadow's edge. He squeezed through the gap, Barnaby held firmly in one hand.
Beyond the wall, five children were playing tag near a cluster of tall foxgloves. Oliver froze at the edge, clutching Barnaby to his chest. The blue butterfly landed right on Barnaby's nose.
A girl with braids laughed and held out her hand. Oliver stepped forward, walking toward them, Barnaby now perched on his shoulder. The butterfly lifted into the air and danced ahead.