Leo laced his left shoe on the wrong foot. His toe wiggled out as he giggled.
A blue butterfly fluttered across the stones. Leo chased it, forgetting the clock behind him.
The clock tower chimed noon. But Leo was peeking under a bench and did not hear.
He looked up. The square was empty. The iron gates were locked tight.
Leo ran home and knocked. No one answered. He peeked through the window.
He saw Mrs. Gable staring at her tea. Her spoon was frozen in mid-air.
Leo tripped over his laces. His pocket spilled shiny buttons across the sidewalk.
The buttons clattered like rain. Mrs. Gable’s head snapped up with a gasp.
She bent down and picked up a red button. She smiled for the first time.
Leo picked up a blue one. Together they made a tiny, messy pile of joy.