Tom and a Little Bit of Cozy

8-10 min read
18 pages
7+

Tom is a little mouse who knits warm blankets from moss, down, soft grass, and spider silk for his friends in the woods. When he hears about a lonely, shivering bunny far away, he makes a long, cold trip through the woods to bring him the warmest blanket of all. Back home under the old oak, his friends have a happy surprise waiting.

Under a big old oak tree, down among its roots, lived a little mouse named Tom. Tom was small and quick, and he worked hard. More than anything, he loved making things with his own tiny paws.

Tom knew how to knit soft, warm blankets, and he loved doing it. Under one of Tom’s blankets, it was warm and soft, and sleep came sweet and easy. “A little bit of cozy, and dreams get sweeter,” Tom liked to say.

When Tom was very, very tiny, he found a scrap of soft cloth near a house where people lived. He wrapped himself up in it, snug as a bug. Oh, how cozy it was! Being warm made Tom feel happy, and his dreams were lovely. Right then, he made up his mind: one day he would make warm blankets for all his friends.

Every day, Tom went looking through the woods for soft things: fluffy grass, bits of down, thin spider silk, and little tufts of moss. Then he knit them into pretty blankets that were warm, warm, warm.

One evening, Tom sat sipping warm herb tea. He was thinking up a new pattern. Then he heard a soft little sob. It came from the hollow in the very same oak, where Elsie the squirrel lived. “Elsie, what’s wrong?” Tom called up. “The nights are so cold now,” Elsie whispered, “and I have nothing to keep me warm.”

Tom wanted to help. He knit Elsie a little blanket of fluffy grass and fine spider silk. As soon as she snuggled under it, Elsie felt warm all over. Soon she was fast asleep.

In the morning, Elsie woke up smiling. “Thank you, Tom!” she cried. “I was so warm all night, and I had the most wonderful dreams!” Tom smiled so big his whiskers wiggled.

Elsie told everyone about her blanket. Soon other animals came to Tom, too: Dudi the hedgehog, Flora the frog, and old Luna the owl. They were all chilly, and each one wanted a warm blanket. Tom was glad to help.

Tom’s tiny paws knit each blanket with care. One had a leafy pattern. Another had a feather tucked in. Every one was different. “It feels so good to know someone is warmer now,” Tom thought.

One cold evening, Tom had just finished a blanket when he heard Fini calling outside. She was shivering and hugging herself—she had run all the way through the chilly wind. “Tom, the birds told me about a bunny named Jack,” she said. “He lives all alone, far across the woods, and he’s cold every night. Could you please help him?”

Tom thought hard. The far side of the woods was a long, long way. It would take almost a whole day to get there. But he couldn’t stop thinking about Jack, all alone and shivering. So Tom decided to go.

That night, Tom knit his very warmest blanket, with all the down, moss, and strong silk he had. At the very first light, off he hurried.

The woods were cold and windy. Tom pushed through the thick brush. He climbed over fallen branches and slipped on icy roots. By a frozen stream, he spotted fox tracks. Uh-oh! Tom tiptoed off another way, the long way around. But he didn’t stop. All the way, he thought about how cozy Jack would be.

At last, as evening fell, Tom reached Jack’s burrow. “Hello?” he called softly. A small bunny peeked out, wide-eyed and shaking. “W-w-who are you?” he asked. “I’m Tom,” said the little mouse gently. “Fini told me about you. I knit warm blankets, and I brought this one for you.”

Jack’s eyes began to shine. Right there in the doorway of his burrow, Tom tucked the blanket around him. Jack felt warm from the tips of his ears to the tips of his toes. “Oh, it’s so warm! Thank you, Tom!” he cried.

Jack gave a little sigh and tucked his nose under the blanket. Soon he was fast asleep. For the first time in a long while, he wasn’t shivering. Tom sat quietly beside him in the doorway. His paws were tired, and his legs were sore. But he smiled. Jack was warm now, and he wasn’t alone anymore.

The next day, Tom walked the long way home. Fini had told everyone where he’d gone, and his friends were waiting under the old oak! Fini, Dudi, Flora, Elsie, Luna, and more had brought soft moss, light feathers, sweet-smelling grass, and berries for a snack. Fini smiled. “It’s all for you, Tom, so you can knit even more of your wonderful blankets!”

Tom looked at all his friends, and his eyes grew misty. He had kept them warm. Now they had warmed him right back, all the way to his heart.

Tom and a Little Bit of Cozy

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