The pirate ship drifted quietly across the Sea of Maybe.
For once...
Nobody was talking.
Captain Bobbins hummed softly as he steered.
Gluebert leaned against the rail with his ladle tucked proudly into his belt.
Pete sat cross-legged beside the treasure map, gently turning the little purple bead he had added after leaving the Island That Stayed.
Boxy watched the sea sparkle beneath the morning sun.
Then...
Plink.
Something tiny landed on his nose.
He blinked.
It was a leaf.
A little golden leaf.
It wobbled once...
twice...
then floated away on the breeze.
Gluebert looked up.
"A leaf."
Captain Bobbins looked up too.
"A leaf."
Gluebert folded his arms.
"I feel we have established that."
The little leaf drifted ahead of the ship.
Not down.
Forward.
Almost as if it were...
waiting.
Captain Bobbins quietly reached into his pocket and pulled out his compass.
The needle spun.
Once.
Twice.
Then pointed...
directly...
at the leaf.
Gluebert burst into laughter.
"Oh dear."
Captain Bobbins frowned.
"What?"
"I believe your compass has finally become a sandwich compass again."
"It isn't pointing at lunch."
"It is pointing at a leaf."
Captain Bobbins scratched his beard.
"It usually knows what it's doing."
"It once pointed at a sock."
"That sock was very interesting."
Pete held up a sign.
WAS IT?
Captain Bobbins nodded.
"I still think about it sometimes."
The pirate parrot landed on the wheel.
"CAPTAIN FLOPSY!"
Gluebert sighed.
"I have not flopsied anything for at least twelve minutes."
The leaf floated onward.
Captain Bobbins watched it carefully.
Then, without another word, he gently turned the ship.
Boxy smiled.
"We're following it?"
"We're following it."
"Why?"
Captain Bobbins shrugged.
"Funny thing about little things..."
He watched the leaf dance through the air.
"...they're only little until you lose them."
Gluebert opened his mouth.
Closed it again.
For once...
he didn't have an answer.
The breeze carried the leaf towards land.
Not a towering mountain.
Not a castle.
Not another drifting island.
Just...
a peaceful woodland glowing with golden leaves.
The pirate ship nudged gently against an old wooden jetty.
Everything was wonderfully quiet.
Leaves drifted lazily through the air.
Acorns rested beneath enormous oak trees.
Tiny mushrooms poked from mossy logs.
Somewhere nearby...
something giggled.
Boxy looked around.
"Who's there?"
Silence.
Then...
"Hello!"
A squirrel popped out from behind a tree.
He wore a tiny green waistcoat with six shiny acorns stitched onto it.
His fluffy tail was almost twice as big as the rest of him.
He beamed.
"I'm Nutters!"
He shook Boxy's hand.
"I'm Nutters!"
He shook Gluebert's hand.
"I'm Nutters!"
He shook Pete's hand.
Pete smiled.
Captain Bobbins whispered,
"He does this."
Nutters gasped dramatically.
"Oh!"
He hurried back to Gluebert.
"I'm Nutters!"
Gluebert blinked.
"We've met."
"I know!"
Nutters grinned.
"I like introductions."
Captain Bobbins nodded.
"They're his favourite bit."
Nutters suddenly became serious.
"Oh goodness."
He looked around nervously.
"I've forgotten something."
"What?" asked Boxy.
Nutters scratched his head.
"I don't remember."
Gluebert smiled kindly.
"That happens to everybody."
Nutters' face lit up.
"It does?"
"Certainly."
"I've forgotten lots of things."
Captain Bobbins raised a finger.
"I once forgot my own ship."
"The one we're standing beside?"
"Exactly."
Nutters relaxed.
"Oh good."
Then...
he looked horrified again.
"I've remembered!"
"What?"
"I forgot to introduce myself!"
He hurried back to Pete.
"I'm Nutters!"
Pete laughed so hard his shoulders bounced.
Captain Bobbins smiled.
"I knew you'd like him."
Nutters beckoned excitedly.
"Come quickly!"
The friends followed him beneath the trees.
The woodland was unlike anywhere Boxy had ever seen.
Leaves glowed amber, red and gold.
Spiderwebs shimmered between branches like tiny silver trampolines.
Bright berries peeked from bushes.
Little birds flitted through the branches.
Everything felt...
important.
Even the tiny things.
Captain Bobbins slowed to a stop.
He took off his hat.
"This..."
he whispered,
"...is the Woodland of Little Wonders."
Gluebert looked around.
"It seems quite normal."
Captain Bobbins smiled.
"It isn't."
"What makes it magical?"
Captain Bobbins bent down beside a tiny blue flower.
"Watch."
Nobody spoke.
Nobody moved.
After a few seconds...
the flower slowly began to fade.
Its colour became lighter.
Its outline became fuzzy.
It almost disappeared.
Then Pete crouched beside it.
He smiled at the little flower.
Immediately...
its colours returned.
It stood proudly once again.
Boxy blinked.
"It came back!"
Captain Bobbins nodded.
"In this woodland..."
"...anything that nobody notices begins to disappear."
Gluebert frowned.
"Everything?"
Captain Bobbins nodded.
"Leaves."
"Flowers."
"Mushrooms."
"Acorns."
"Little creatures."
"Even memories."
Pete slowly looked around the woodland.
Suddenly...
every tiny thing seemed precious.
Nutters tugged Boxy's sleeve.
"That's why I need your help!"
"What happened?"
Nutters pulled a little folded checklist from his pocket.
It was covered in tiny tick boxes.
"The Woodland Keeper asked me to find the Twelve Little Wonders before sunset."
He sighed.
"I keep getting distracted."
"What are the Twelve Little Wonders?" asked Boxy.
Nutters unfolded the list.
"A red leaf."
"A yellow leaf."
"A green leaf."
"A pine cone."
"An acorn."
"A conker."
"A stick."
"Berries."
"Moss."
"A smooth stone."
"And two living wonders..."
He looked around dramatically.
"...a bird and a spider."
Boxy peered at the bottom of the list.
"There's a squirrel on there too."
Nutters gasped.
"I AM!"
He proudly ticked the squirrel box.
Captain Bobbins nodded.
"Twelve Little Wonders and one Nutters. Very official."
Gluebert smiled.
"One squirrel down already."
Nutters suddenly frowned.
"What was I doing?"
Captain Bobbins answered,
"Introducing yourself."
Nutters' face lit up.
"Oh yes!"
He hurried over to Boxy once more.
"I'm Nutters!"
Before anyone could reply...
something tiny sneezed beneath a pile of leaves.
"Hitchoo!"
Everyone looked down.
Except Gluebert.
He was looking up a tree.
"I think it came from the branches."
"Hitchoo!"
This time Boxy carefully lifted the leaves.
Curled into a tiny ball was the smallest hedgehog Boxy had ever seen.
He was so little that three autumn leaves almost covered him completely.
Only his tiny nose and two bright eyes peeked out.
He looked shyly at everyone.
"Oh..."
said Boxy gently.
"Hello."
The little hedgehog smiled.
"My name's Bramble."
His voice was so quiet that the breeze nearly carried it away.
Nutters smiled warmly.
"Bramble notices everything."
Captain Bobbins nodded.
"He usually notices things before they've happened."
Gluebert looked puzzled.
"That sounds impossible."
Bramble shrugged.
"It usually is."
Everyone laughed.
Even Gluebert.
Pete smiled at Bramble.
Bramble smiled back.
For just a moment...
they understood one another perfectly.
Without saying a single word.
Then Captain Bobbins clapped his hands.
"Come along!"
"The Little Wonders won't notice themselves!"
The pirate parrot swooped through the trees.
"CAPTAIN FLOPSY!"
Gluebert looked up.
A pine cone landed squarely on his wizard hat.
DONK.
Gluebert sighed.
"I preferred the sandwich."
Bramble sneezed again.
"Hitchoo!"
A tiny red leaf landed neatly on Gluebert's nose.
He crossed his eyes trying to look at it.
"Has anyone else been attacked by foliage today?"
Captain Bobbins nodded.
"Twice before breakfast."
"That doesn't make me feel better."
"It wasn't supposed to."
Nutters suddenly bounced into the air.
"I've remembered!"
Everyone waited.
"The Twelve Little Wonders!"
Captain Bobbins clapped his hands.
"Excellent! Let's see if we can find them before sunset."
The friends spread out through the woodland, peering under logs, behind bushes and beneath enormous golden leaves.
Pete spotted a smooth stone almost immediately.
Tick.
Boxy found a bright yellow leaf twirling gently from a branch.
Tick.
Captain Bobbins discovered a stick that looked remarkably like another stick.
"I think this is an exceptionally stick-shaped stick."
Gluebert examined it seriously.
"I agree."
Pete held up a sign.
MOST STICKS ARE.
Captain Bobbins looked disappointed.
"I was hoping this one was special."
"It is," said Bramble quietly.
Everyone looked at him.
"It made a tiny bridge for an ant this morning."
Captain Bobbins smiled warmly.
"I knew it."
He carefully placed the stick into Nutters' bucket.
"Every little thing has a story."
As they wandered deeper into the woodland, Boxy noticed something strange.
Whenever somebody stopped to admire something...
it became brighter.
The moss became greener.
The berries shinier.
The mushrooms stood a little taller.
But whenever everyone hurried past...
the little wonders slowly faded until they were almost invisible.
Gluebert stopped beside a magnificent oak.
"I think I've found something important!"
Everyone hurried over.
"What is it?" asked Boxy.
Gluebert pointed dramatically.
"A very large tree."
There was silence.
Nutters scratched his head.
"We've walked past twenty-seven very large trees."
Gluebert looked around.
"...Have we?"
Pete's shoulders began bouncing.
Captain Bobbins patted Gluebert sympathetically.
"Easy mistake."
"It looked... newer."
Just then Bramble tugged gently at Boxy's sleeve.
He pointed towards a tiny patch of moss growing between two roots.
Nobody else had noticed it.
It had almost disappeared.
Only a faint green outline remained.
Boxy knelt beside it.
"Hello, little moss."
Pete smiled and gently stroked it with one finger.
Almost instantly, the moss became soft, bright and wonderfully green again.
Gluebert watched thoughtfully.
"So simply noticing it..."
"...helped it."
Captain Bobbins nodded.
"The Woodland of Little Wonders has always believed that being noticed is rather wonderful."
Pete looked quietly at Bramble.
Bramble smiled back.
It reminded Pete of himself.
Soon the bucket was filling nicely.
Red leaf.
Green leaf.
Acorn.
Pine cone.
Conker.
Smooth stone.
Berries.
Stick.
Moss.
Only the two living wonders remained.
"Bird!" shouted Nutters suddenly.
A cheerful blue bird landed on Captain Bobbins' hat.
Tick.
Before it could fly away, the pirate parrot swooped down beside it.
"CAPTAIN FLOPSY!"
The little bird looked utterly confused.
"...I'm Doris."
The pirate parrot blinked.
"CAPTAIN DORIS?"
The bluebird flew away very quickly.
Captain Bobbins sighed.
"I do apologise."
"He gets enthusiastic."
"CAPTAIN FLOPSY!"
"I know."
Everyone laughed.
Not long afterwards they found a spider carefully spinning a beautiful web between two mushrooms.
Nobody spoke.
They simply admired it.
The spider gave a tiny bow.
Tick.
Nutters looked at the checklist.
"We've finished!"
Captain Bobbins smiled.
"Almost."
"There is one more Little Wonder."
Nutters frowned.
"There isn't."
"There is."
Captain Bobbins pointed gently towards Bramble.
The tiny hedgehog looked puzzled.
"Me?"
"You."
Bramble looked down.
"But... I'm not on the list."
Captain Bobbins crouched beside him.
"No."
"You've been helping everyone else find the wonders."
"...while forgetting you're one yourself."
Bramble's little nose twitched.
Pete looked at him.
Really looked.
He noticed Bramble's tiny smile.
His kind eyes.
The way he always walked at the back to make sure nobody was left behind.
Then...
Pete gasped.
"Bramble..."
The tiny hedgehog's colours had begun fading.
Very slowly.
His little prickles were becoming pale.
Nobody else had noticed.
Captain Bobbins looked shocked.
"Oh dear."
Gluebert immediately knelt beside him.
"What do we do?"
Captain Bobbins smiled softly.
"The same thing we've been doing all day."
Everyone gathered around.
Nutters smiled.
"I'm glad you're here."
Boxy nodded.
"You helped us."
Gluebert adjusted his wizard hat.
"I would almost certainly have mistaken several mushrooms for rocks without you."
Captain Bobbins added,
"You reminded us to slow down."
Pete picked up a little orange pom-pom that had drifted from Captain Bobbins' coat.
He gently tucked it between Bramble's tiny prickles.
"It suits you," smiled Boxy.
Nutters found another.
Gluebert found three.
Captain Bobbins accidentally produced twelve from somewhere inside his beard.
Then he found one enormous purple pom-pom and balanced it right on top of Bramble's head.
Bramble's eyes crossed as he tried to look up at it.
Pete's shoulders began to shake.
Captain Bobbins nodded proudly.
"Very hedgehog."
The giant pom-pom rolled down Bramble's nose.
"Pfft."
Everyone laughed.
Soon Bramble's little back was covered in bright autumn colours.
Orange.
Yellow.
Red.
Brown.
Gold.
He looked wonderful.
Bramble blinked.
"...Really?"
Pete nodded.
Really.
Bramble smiled the biggest smile anyone had seen all day.
Immediately...
His colours returned.
Brighter than ever.
Captain Bobbins whispered,
"There you are."
Pete quietly held his sign against his chest.
SOMETIMES PEOPLE JUST NEED TO BE SEEN.
Nobody replied.
Nobody needed to.
"NOW THEN!"
Captain Bobbins suddenly boomed.
"Who's ready for the Annual Crow Art Show?"
Gluebert frowned.
"...The what?"
Almost on cue...
Hundreds of crows landed in nearby trees.
CAW!
CAW!
CAW!
One wore spectacles.
One wore a tiny bow tie.
One carried a clipboard.
Captain Bobbins bowed.
"Our judges."
The crow with the clipboard cleared its throat.
"CAW."
Captain Bobbins translated.
"Originality."
Another crow.
"CAW!"
"Hair."
A third crow.
"CAW!"
"Excellent use of googly eyes."
Gluebert blinked.
"...This is real?"
Captain Bobbins looked surprised.
"Of course."
The woodland animals began building the silliest scarecrows imaginable.
One had twelve hats.
One had boots on its elbows.
One had carrots for eyebrows.
Gluebert proudly built his own.
Unfortunately...
he put the hat on first.
Then realised he'd forgotten the face.
Then attached the nose upside down.
Then accidentally glued his sleeve to the scarecrow.
Pete held up his sign.
FRIENDSHIP ACHIEVED.
Captain Bobbins laughed so hard he nearly fell into a wheelbarrow.
The crows inspected each creation very seriously.
One fainted dramatically beside Gluebert's.
Another wiped away a tear.
"Caw..."
Captain Bobbins translated.
"He says your scarecrow is emotionally confusing."
Gluebert looked quite pleased.
"I was aiming for whimsical."
As the judging finished, Bramble led them to a tiny clearing.
At its centre stood a single silver tree.
Its leaves shimmered like little mirrors.
"The Memory Tree," whispered Bramble.
Captain Bobbins carefully picked one silvery leaf.
It immediately curled into a tiny cup.
"Place something inside."
Boxy chose a little acorn.
Pete placed one colourful feather.
Nutters chose the exceptionally stick-shaped stick.
Captain Bobbins placed...
the suspicious sandwich.
Gluebert stared.
"You've still got that?"
"It has sentimental value."
The leaf gently folded itself around each treasure.
Then...
Fwoomp!
It shrank.
Smaller.
Smaller.
Smaller.
Until each memory was tiny enough to fit into a pocket.
"Wonderful!" smiled Boxy.
Gluebert reached for another leaf.
"I shall preserve my magnificent wizard hat."
Captain Bobbins opened his mouth.
"Gluebert, I wouldn't..."
Too late.
The leaf wrapped itself around Gluebert's hat.
FWOOMP!
The hat shrank.
Tiny.
Very tiny.
It now sat on top of his head like a blueberry.
Everyone stared.
Pete's shoulders bounced.
Nutters fell over laughing.
Captain Bobbins tried very hard not to smile.
Gluebert blinked.
"...I preferred it before."
Then his beard touched another leaf.
FWOOMP!
Tiny beard.
Only two fluffy tufts remained.
His enormous eyebrows, however...
did not shrink.
They looked positively gigantic.
Nobody could hold it together any longer.
Even Gluebert laughed.
"I suppose..."
he chuckled,
"...I do look rather ridiculous."
The pirate parrot landed gently on his shoulder.
For once...
it looked at him kindly.
Then quietly whispered...
"Captain Flopsy."
Gluebert smiled.
"I'll allow that one."
The afternoon drifted by.
The bucket was full.
The scarecrows smiled across the fields.
The crows applauded politely.
The Little Wonders glowed all around them.
Then...
Captain Bobbins looked towards the sky.
"The sun's setting."
Everyone turned.
Golden light spilled through the trees.
Nutters waved excitedly.
"Come back soon!"
Captain Bobbins smiled.
"We'll try."
"You'll remember me?"
Captain Bobbins grinned.
"How could anyone forget someone who introduces himself every five minutes?"
Nutters laughed.
"...I'm Nutters."
"We know."
As they walked back towards the pirate ship, Pete suddenly stopped.
He looked behind them.
The little blue flower from earlier.
The moss.
The smooth stone.
They were all still there.
Bright.
Colourful.
Happy.
Because someone had noticed them.
Pete smiled.
Sometimes...
that was enough.
The ship pulled gently away from the jetty.
Boxy unfolded the treasure map.
A new golden line slowly appeared.
Not a picture of every Little Wonder.
Just...
a tiny smiling hedgehog.
A colourful pom-pom.
A wonderfully wonky scarecrow.
And a very, very small hat.
The map wasn't remembering what they made.
It was remembering how the day had felt.
Captain Bobbins smiled.
"The best maps do that."
The breeze carried a cool autumn chill across the sea.
Then...
something rolled quietly across the deck.
A pumpkin.
Everyone looked at it.
Captain Bobbins frowned.
"That's odd."
Nutters hadn't packed one.
The Woodland of Little Wonders didn't grow them.
Slowly...
another pumpkin rolled out from behind a barrel.
Then another.
The pirate parrot stared.
Its feathers fluffed.
Its eyes widened.
It swallowed.
"...Uh oh."
Far away, somewhere beyond the evening mist...
came the faintest sound.
Creeeeak...
Gluebert adjusted his tiny hat.
"I don't suppose that's normal?"
Captain Bobbins quietly folded away his compass.
"No."
"...I don't believe it is."
Somewhere inside the mist, a little orange light blinked on.
Then another.
And another.
Boxy stared into the darkness.
None of them moved like lanterns on a ship.
The pirate parrot shuffled closer to Gluebert.
For once, it said nothing.