8.
The New Orchard Keeper
Warm sunlight poured through the window.
Elnore stretched in bed and slowly opened her eyes.
She yawned and smiled, thinking about the adorable animals she met the day before.
She didn’t mind if those animal friends came to the orchard every day.
If she ever had the chance, she wanted to visit the village where the animals lived.
She wondered how they lived—
Were their “villages” just little rabbit holes in the forest?
Or something more special?
While thinking about this, she looked to the side—
And saw Una sleeping soundly on the carpet.
If it weren’t for Una,
I wouldn’t be able to enjoy this happiness.
She gently petted Una’s fluffy fur.
After a while, Una began to blink her round eyes—
She had woken up.
“Elnore, I’m hungry.”
Una rubbed her belly as it growled.
Elnore smiled and nodded.
“Me too. What do you think about some fresh fruit for breakfast?”
“Of course! That sounds amazing!”
Una stood up and gave her body a good shake.
Then the two of them stepped outside.
Elnore looked around the yard, wondering what fruit to eat today.
That’s when she spotted strawberries growing in one corner.
“Una, come look! There are tons of strawberries here!”
“Whoa, you’re right!”
“Look how big they are!”
“Some are as big as your fist!”
Una looked at Elnore’s hand and the strawberries, then quickly picked one and popped it into her mouth.
“Is it good?”
“You don’t even need to ask! You should try one too!”
“I will!”
Elnore picked a strawberry and took a bite.
It was sweet like honey and a little tangy too.
She was amazed by the taste and quickly picked a few more to eat.
As she was happily enjoying the berries,
She noticed something at the end of a long strawberry vine.
Two small yellow flower buds.
They were tightly closed, as if they were still sleeping in.
Elnore looked at the flowers and thought,
They would be so pretty if they bloomed…
Without thinking, she reached out and gently touched one.
And then—
Something surprising happened.
The flower slowly opened…
And inside, curled up and fast asleep, was a tiny field mouse!
Sunlight shone into the petals, waking the mouse.
It yawned, stretched, and blinked a few times—
Then looked up at Elnore with big, black eyes.
“Who are you?”
“I’m Elnore Dolcevita. What’s your name?”
“I’m Polly. But…”
Polly started to say something—
But as she climbed out of the flower, she lost her balance!
Elnore quickly cupped her hands and caught the tiny mouse.
“Careful!”
“Thank you, Elnore!”
“No problem.”
Elnore smiled at Polly, who smiled back and asked,
“How did you wake me up?”
“There were two unopened flowers next to the strawberry vine. I felt sorry they hadn’t bloomed yet, so I touched one—
And then it opened, and there you were!”
“Really?
Then… can I ask you for a favor?”
“Sure.”
“Could you touch the other flower bud too?”
Elnore nodded and gently touched the second flower.
Just like before, it slowly opened—
And another little mouse appeared!
“Flo! Wake up!”
The second mouse squirmed a little, then finally opened her eyes.
Elnore held out her hand so Flo wouldn’t fall, and the mouse stepped into her palm.
Flo bowed her head in thanks.
Now, both of Elnore’s hands held the two adorable field mice.
They had light brown fur, tiny pink noses—
They were so cute, Elnore couldn’t stop staring at them.
Mice who sleep inside flower buds? That’s the cutest thing ever…
Just then, Polly spoke.
“Thank you for waking us.”
“That’s right. We had to stay asleep inside those flowers…
Until the new Orchard Keeper arrived.”
“More exactly,” Flo added,
“Until someone opened the thorn barrier around the orchard and woke us up.”
Elnore tilted her head.
“So… that Orchard Keeper is me?”
“Yes!”
Polly nodded.
“The Guardian of the Forest said so when she put us to sleep!”
“The Guardian of the Forest? Who’s that?”
“She’s a white stag. With golden antlers—
Big, shiny ones!”
Polly lifted her little arms and made a circle shape to show how big.
Elnore suddenly remembered her dreams—
The white stag with glowing golden horns from her childhood.
Could Polly be talking about the same stag I met…?
She looked again at the two mice chattering happily in her hands.
Then Flo shyly wiggled her paws and asked,
“Elnore, can you carry us back to the flowers we came from?
We want to give you something.”
“Oh, sure.”
Elnore carried them back to the flower buds.
The mice dove inside and came out holding round, golden-brown clumps.
“What’s that?”
“This is honey collected inside the flower.”
“If you brew it into tea, it’ll taste amazing!”
“It’ll be the best honey tea ever!”
Their eyes sparkled with excitement.
“We’ll tell you more while we drink it!”
“Let’s go inside!”
“Sounds great.”
With smiles, Elnore headed toward the house.
Una followed, munching on about ten strawberries at once.
Inside the house, Polly and Flo led Elnore to a kitchen cabinet.
“There are teapots and cups in here!”
“Got it!”
Elnore opened the lowest cabinet door—
Sure enough, there was a teapot and several teacups inside.
The teaware was white with soft yellow roses painted on it.
As she admired the pretty set, she found two tiny teacups—
So small, only animals like Polly and Flo could use them.
The mice happily picked them up right away.
Elnore smiled at the sight, set the cups on the counter, and started boiling water.
Once it boiled, she poured it into the teapot
And dropped the honey balls inside.
Soon, a sweet and gentle smell filled the room.
Polly and Flo ran to the teapot with their cups, grinning.
Elnore carefully poured tea into all the cups, including her own.
The sweet scent warmed her nose—
But the taste was even better.
It was the most delicious honey tea she had ever had.
Una, who loved honey, gulped down her tea and immediately asked for more.
Elnore poured another cup, which Una quickly finished—
Then danced with joy.
Polly and Flo giggled and sipped their tea, enjoying the sweet smell.
After the tea, the mice began telling Elnore important things a new Orchard Keeper needed to know.
Polly explained about the orchard’s trees and plants.
The orchard grew fruit all year round, no matter the season.
It even had magical fruits and ancient trees straight out of legends.
“Ancient trees? That sounds amazing.”
“They’re called the Four Seasons Trees,” Polly said.
“They’re beautiful—you have to see them sometime!”
“Definitely.”
Then Flo spoke.
She told Elnore about the orchard’s history
And about the items hidden in the house.
One story especially caught Elnore’s attention—
The story of the previous Orchard Keeper: Arona.
Arona had created the orchard and shared its beauty with many friends.
But one day, she fell very ill and passed away.
Elnore’s face turned sad as she sighed.
She guessed the letter she had read, the one welcoming her, was from Arona.
After Arona’s death, Polly and Flo had fallen asleep,
And the orchard had closed its thorny door.
Flo’s voice trembled as she continued.
Before she died, Arona gave them a cookbook—
Filled with recipes using the orchard’s fruit.
“I’d love to read that book,” Elnore said gently.
“If I can, I think I’ll understand Arona better.”
She softly petted Flo’s head to comfort her.
But Flo looked unsure.
“Um…”
“What’s wrong?”
“Elnore, please promise one thing.
Then I’ll show you the book.”
“What is it?”
“Please… don’t leave.”
Flo suddenly cried out.
Polly looked just as sad.
“That’s right,” Polly said.
“We don’t need someone who visits for a little while—
We need someone who will stay.”
“If you, the one who opened the thorns and woke us, leave now…
Everything will go back to how it was.”
“Elnore, you won’t leave, right?”
The two mice grabbed her fingers tightly with their tiny paws.
“Of course not. Why would I leave?”
Elnore smiled and said,
“Actually, I’m really happy you accepted me as the new Orchard Keeper.”
“Really? You mean it?”
“I do.”
“Yay! Hooray!”
Polly and Flo jumped around with joy.
Then they hugged each other and started crying from happiness.
Elnore gently stroked their backs, watching them with care.
They cried until they had no more tears left.
Then, with brave smiles, they wiped their eyes and held Elnore’s fingers again.
They wouldn’t let go.
Just like they did when Arona was still alive—
They promised to make the orchard the warmest, happiest place in the world.
Ready for the next chapter?
