The Wobbly Leaf-Hop Tie

“One hop!” called Dax. He sprang—and landed in a pile of leaves with a soft, leafy poof.

A yellow leaf stuck to his nose. Dax crossed his eyes to look at it. His friend Remy laughed so hard that she nearly dropped the little wooden spoon she was using as a contest bell.

“Good landing,” she said. “Very leafy.”

Dax plucked off the leaf. “That was only a warm-up. I’m going to win our leaf-hop contest and get closest to the biggest mossy stone in the clearing.”

The stone sat in the middle of the jungle clearing, broad as a table and covered in a thick green coat of moss. Around it, vines hung high from sturdy branches. They swayed gently overhead, well out of reach. Below them, a soft bed of leaves stretched toward the stone.

Remy pointed to a starting line in the leaves. “We each get one small hop from here. The farthest safe landing wins. Sulo can measure with the spoon.”

“Good rule,” said Dax. “And nobody hops onto the mossy stone.”

“Right,” said Remy. “It looks slippery.”

They moved a few fallen twigs from the leaf bed. A parrot named Sulo perched on a low branch to judge. A pair of frogs sat beside him, ready to clap with their wide, flat hands.

“Contest rules,” Sulo announced. “One hop each, from the same line. Land in the leaves, not on the stone. No pushing. Laughing is allowed.”

“Especially laughing,” said Remy.

Dax took his turn first. He bent his knees and made a careful hop toward the stone. He landed safely in the leaves, a little way beyond the starting line.

Sulo laid the spoon from the line to Dax’s landing spot. “That’s the mark to beat!”

Dax smiled. “Your turn, Remy.”

Remy looked at the mark, then at the soft leaf bed. She took a breath, bent her knees, and hopped.

For one bright moment, she floated above the leaves.

Remy landed with a rustle, just a little short of Dax’s mark.

The frogs clapped anyway. One frog clapped so enthusiastically that he toppled over backward and landed on his bottom.

“Nice hop,” Dax said. “I’m still ahead.”

“By a whisker,” Remy said. “A very small whisker.”

Dax looked toward the stone. It seemed farther away than before. “I could make a much bigger hop.”

“You could,” Remy said. “But our rule is one small hop, landing in the leaves. We can have another round and take turns again.”

Dax nodded. “Fair is fair.”

Sulo tapped his spoon. “Round two!”

Dax took his place at the starting line. He watched the leaf bed and chose a spot that looked soft and clear. Then he made one careful hop and landed with a rustle.

Sulo measured the distance with his spoon. “A new mark!”

Remy took her turn from the same line. She chose a clear spot and hopped, landing safely in the leaves. Sulo measured again. The spoon reached exactly to Dax’s mark.

The frogs cheered. Dax and Remy grinned at each other.

“Tied!” called Sulo. “You both reached the same mark.”

Dax glanced at the mossy stone. “We can walk over and look at it, right?”

“On the clear path,” said Remy. “And we’ll stay off the slippery top.”

Side by side, they walked along the path and stopped beside the broad stone. The frogs followed, still clapping. Sulo tucked his spoon beneath his wing.

“A splendid shared finish!” he said.

Dax and Remy sat down in the soft leaves beside the stone. They stretched their feet out in front of them and watched the frogs settle nearby.

Dax picked a bit of leaf from his elbow. “I thought winning meant getting here first.”

Remy smiled. “I thought winning meant making the farthest hop.”

Dax glanced at their matching marks. “We both did that.”

Nearby, the frogs were still clapping, though now they were clapping slowly, as if their hands were getting sleepy. Sulo settled on his branch. The contest was over. Nobody asked for another round.

The vines swayed high above the clearing, still hanging from their sturdy branches. A small breeze stirred the leaf bed. One leaf lifted, turned once in the air, and settled on Dax’s head.

Remy pointed. “You’ve won a leaf hat.”

Dax touched it carefully. “Does it come with a prize?”

“Only if you promise to wear it with dignity.”

Dax sat up tall. The leaf slid over one eye. “I am wearing it with great dignity.”

Remy giggled, and Dax giggled too. Their laughter grew quieter as the jungle settled around them. The frogs tucked their hands beneath their chins. Sulo closed his eyes on the branch. In the nearby trees, birds called good night to one another.

Dax looked over the clearing. From where they sat, he could see the leaf bed, the clear path, and the little wooden spoon beside Sulo. Everything looked just right from there.

“I’m glad we hopped together,” Dax said.

“So am I,” said Remy. “A tie is better when you share it.”

They sat side by side, listening to the leaves whisper overhead. Dax’s leaf hat slid into his lap. He placed it beside him, and Remy rested her shoulder against his.

The jungle grew still. Dax and Remy stayed cozy in the soft leaves beside the stone as the night wrapped the clearing in calm.