A golden invitation fluttered down the mossy path. Pip snatched it up quickly.
The paper was blank except for three faint dots. He tilted his head. The forest smelled like damp pine needles.
Pip counted the dots: one, two, three. He added them together and got six.
He hopped toward a bush with six red berries, but they were just snacks. The sun felt warm on his fur.
Pip saw a trail of yellow petals leading to a hollow log. He counted five petals inside the log.
He added them to the previous six. He squeezed into the dark log; it smelled like old wood.
Inside the log, Pip found a giant acorn cap with seven blue flowers painted on it. He added seven to twelve and got nineteen.
A sudden gust blew the petals away, leaving only numbers. Pip’s ears perk up at the chime sound.
Pip followed the number nineteen to a sparkling creek where friends were waiting. They all stepped onto floating lily pads that glowed with rainbow light.
The water splashed gently as they floated toward the celebration.