Pip's prickly feet tapped against the warm garden path. A yellow-and-black butterfly landed on his spiky leaf-crown and tickled his leaves until he swayed. 'Hello!' the butterfly whispered, then darted away toward a cluster of pink hibiscus.
Pip followed, his little crown swaying with every hop. He squeezed under a low plumeria branch and found three butterflies arguing over a purple blossom — one on each petal. They flitted all at once, and Pip chased their wings until they settled on a leaf.
They settled on a broad leaf and hummed a slow, happy tune. The hum vibrated through his crown like a tiny guitar. A breeze rolled through the garden, thick with the sweet smell of plumeria and warm red dirt.
Pip opened his leaf-crown wide to catch it. The breeze tumbled a single white petal right into the center of his leaves. Pip held it there like a treasure while the butterflies paused to watch him.
Dark clouds gathered overhead and the first drops of rain fell — but instead of heavy and loud, the rain tapped against the leaves like a thousand tiny drums, each drop glittering with something sparkly. Pip stood perfectly still, the rain drumming and singing all around him.
Until the drumming softened to a whisper. The last raindrop slid off Pip's tip and fell into a puddle with a soft plink.
When Pip looked up, a bright sparkling rainbow arced across the garden — pink, yellow, and lavender, just like the flowers. He held his breath, watching the rainbow shimmer.
And the little white petal in his crown seemed to glow.