Buckle Finds the Oasis

“The oasis is right over there!” I squeaked from the side pocket. “Can I see it from the outside this time?”

Wren, the young desert fox carrying me, tilted one pointed ear. “You want to walk there, Buckle?”

“I want to see those palm trees up close,” I said. “And perhaps my reflection in the water. I’ve heard I have a very handsome spout.”

Wren chuckled and lifted me from the pocket. She set me upright on a flat red rock, where I could look across the desert. Golden dunes rolled toward the horizon. Beyond them, palm tops waved above a little oasis.

“There it is,” said Wren. “We’ll take the easy way.”

“I’m ready,” I declared. “My feet are—oh!”

The rock ended in a slope of loose sand. My round bottom slid sideways, and I tipped over with a little clank.

“Are you all right?” Wren asked.

“Quite all right,” I said, lying on my side. “The sand seems to be moving without asking me.”

Wren set me upright and carried me down the slope. She had quick paws and knew just where to step. I did my best to keep my balance, but each time the sand shifted, I wobbled this way and that.

“Left!” I called.

Wren stepped left.

“Now right!”

She stepped right, and I stayed upright for three whole steps. I was so pleased that I began to sing a marching song. Then my bottom slid, and I flopped onto my side again.

The desert was full of things worth noticing while Wren helped me up. A lizard darted between two rocks. A tiny bird hopped over a dry twig. The air smelled warm and dusty, and the flat red stones held the sun’s heat.

At last we reached the foot of a tall dune. It rose between us and the oasis, steep and wide, with sand sliding down its face.

“Is that the easy way?” I asked.

Wren looked up at the high ridge. “I’m afraid this is the way in front of us.”

I looked at the palm tops peeking beyond it. “Then I suppose we’ll have to climb.”

Wren gave me a steadying paw. Together, we started up the dune.

The first few steps went well. Wren walked carefully, and I leaned forward as far as my little metal body could lean.

“Up we go,” I said. “One step, two steps, three—whoa!”

My bottom slid backward. Wren caught me before I rolled, but the sand slipped beneath her paws, too. We slid down together in a soft, sandy heap at the foot of the dune.

I sat up with sand on my lid. “That hill is much steeper than it looked from the rock.”

“Maybe we can try again,” said Wren.

We tried. Wren chose a slightly different place and began climbing. I held very still, keeping my spout pointed toward the top. The sand gave way. Down we slid, not fast, but far enough to land beside the same flat red rock.

I looked up at the high ridge. It seemed to stretch from one end of the desert to the other. The palms were hidden behind it now.

“I can’t climb that dune,” I said. “My feet are too round, and the sand won’t stay put.”

Wren sat beside me. “We can rest here a moment.”

From the hollow beside the red rock, I could see the dune’s lower edge. Something green caught my eye. A little plant grew near a stone. Farther along, another plant poked through the sand. Then I spotted another, and another.

They made a curving line around the dune’s wide side. The tiny plants didn’t climb over the steep slope. They grew along an easier path, bending around it toward the far end.

“Wren!” I said. “Look at the plants. They’re showing us a way around.”

Wren followed my gaze. “A green path!”

“Let’s follow the curve,” I said. “The dune can keep its top. I’d rather meet it on the other side.”

Wren lifted me gently and set me upright. I wobbled once, then found my balance on a patch of firm ground.

“Ready?” she asked.

“Ready,” I said. “And this time, we’re going around.”

We followed the little plants, stepping from one firm patch to the next. The curve led us past the steep face and around the dune’s broad shoulder. Soon the sand grew flatter beneath Wren’s paws. I stayed upright all by myself.

Then the palms appeared ahead, their fronds swaying over a clear pool. I had found my way to the oasis.

“I’m here!” I announced. “I made it all the way around the dune!”

Wren set me beside the oasis pool. The water lay still beneath the palms, clear enough to show the sandy bottom. I leaned forward and peered down.

A little canteen looked back at me. It had a rounded body, a small spout, and a bright, proud expression.

“Why, hello,” I said to my reflection. “You’re even more handsome than I expected.”

Wren laughed. “You look very pleased with yourself.”

“I am,” I said. “And I’m pleased with you, too. You carried me, caught me, and followed my idea.”

Wren dipped her paws in the pool. A few ripples spread across the water, and my reflection stretched into a wiggly shape.

“Look!” I cried. “Now I have a very long face!”

The ripples eased away. My regular reflection returned, with the palm fronds drawn above my head like a leafy hat.

We rested beneath the palms. Wren curled her tail around her paws, and I sat upright beside her. The shade felt cool after the sunny walk. Nearby, a small bird pecked at the ground, while the palms rustled overhead.

“Do you think the little plants know they helped us?” Wren asked.

“I think they know how to grow where the ground is kind,” I said. “And they were kind enough to show us the way.”

We watched the last busy moments of the day settle around the oasis. The desert sounds grew quieter. Air stirred the palm leaves, and the pool reflected the broad, dusky sky.

Tiny stars gathered in the darkening sky above the oasis. Then I saw them in the water, too—small points of light resting beside my reflection.

“Wren,” I whispered, “I can see the stars twice.”

“Once up there,” she whispered back, “and once down here.”

I leaned comfortably against her warm side. My spout pointed toward the water, where the stars kept watch with us beneath the palms. I had seen the oasis up close, and I was exactly where I wanted to be.