Squeaky the squirrel had a pile of perfect acorns. Pip the chipmunk had a pile of perfect acorns. The sun was warm on their furry backs, and everything was wonderful.
But Pip wiggled his nose. His eyes looked past the sunny grass, past the big oak tree, to the very edge of the garden.
A shed stood there.
The shed was old and gray. Its door was big and shut.
"I dare you," whispered Pip. "I dare you to go inside."
Squeaky looked at the shed. His tail stopped swishing. Deep in his chest, his little heart started a soft, quick beat. Thump-thump-thump.
"It's… dark in there," Squeaky said.
"That's the dare," said Pip, puffing out his chest.
Squeaky looked at Pip. Then he looked at the shed. He took a tiny step. Then another. Pip scampered right beside him.
The grass grew long and cool near the shed. The sun felt far away. Squeaky's heart beat a little faster. Thump-thump-thump.
They stood before the big wooden door. It didn't have a handle—just a little crack at the bottom.
"Together?" whispered Squeaky.
"Together," whispered Pip.
They put their noses to the crack and pushed. The door groaned. It scraped open just enough for a squirrel and a chipmunk to slip through.
And then they were inside.
It was dark. And it was quiet. Thin beams of dusty light came down from cracks in the roof. Squeaky's heart was drumming now. THUMP-THUMP-THUMP.
In one corner, a long green snake lay sleeping in a coil.
In another, a giant wooden claw reached for the ceiling.
Squeaky wanted to run. But he took one more tiny step. And his foot bumped into something hard.
CLATTER-BONK-TUMBLE!
A tower of empty flowerpots tipped over and rolled everywhere! The noise was loud and silly. Squeaky froze. Pip froze. They waited.
But nothing happened.
Slowly, Pip started to giggle. Then Squeaky giggled, too. The scary quiet was gone.
Squeaky looked again. The long green snake wasn't a snake at all! It was a garden hose, all rolled up. And the giant claw? Just an old rake leaning against the wall.
Their eyes got used to the dim light. They saw shovels and bags and little wooden sticks. And right in the middle of it all was the most beautiful thing Squeaky had ever seen.
A big, shiny, red watering can.
It was round and bright, even in the dust.
Together, they pushed the watering can with their noses. They rolled it across the floor. They bumped it out the door and into the bright, warm sunshine.
The shed didn't seem so spooky anymore.
Squeaky and Pip spent the rest of the afternoon filling the shiny red can with yellow dandelions. Squeaky's heart was still beating in his chest, but now it was a happy, steady thump—like a drum in a parade.
