Marnie places two leaves over drumsticks stretched across a puddle. Several snails steady the bridge or cross it toward the flower garden.

A LITTLE WORLD AWAITS

Marnie’s Very Quiet Drum

Get comfy, come a little closer, and let a new adventure unfold.

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Marnie’s Very Quiet Drum

Marnie, a small gray mouse in an apricot cape, happily plays a turquoise drum on a wooden bandstand while two sparrows hop nearby. A fountain splashes in the sunny town square.

Marnie the mouse loved the old bandstand in the town square. Every Saturday, she played her tiny drum there: tap-tap, tum-tum! Sparrows hopped to the beat. Shopkeepers clapped. Even the fountain seemed to splash along.

Under a wooden bench in the rain, Marnie holds a silver note beside her drum. Two snails pull long drumsticks across a puddle with shiny slime trails.

One rainy Saturday, Marnie opened her drum case and gasped. Her drumsticks were gone.

In their place lay a small silver note. It said, “Follow the quietest sound.”

Marnie listened. Rain ticked on the bandstand roof. Puddles plopped. A cart rattled over the faraway stones. Then she heard it: scritch... scritch... scritch.

The sound came from beneath a bench. Marnie crawled under and found a line of snails. They were tugging her drumsticks with long, shiny slime strings.

Marnie kneels beside a rain puddle with her drum as two snails stand near the water. Her drumsticks lie on the wet ground, with a flower garden across the puddle.

“Please stop!” said Marnie. “Those are my drumsticks.”

A little snail lifted its head. “We need to get to the garden,” it said. “The rain washed away our leaf bridge. Your sticks are long enough to cross the puddle.”

Marnie looked at the wide puddle between the square and the flower garden. The snails could not cross. She wanted her drumsticks back. Then the tiniest snail wobbled near the water’s edge.

“Let’s make a bridge together,” said Marnie.

She laid the two drumsticks across the puddle. The snails held them still with their sticky strings. Marnie found two flat leaves and placed them on top, making a soft path.

One by one, the snails slid across. The tiniest snail came last. When it reached the garden, it gave a happy little wiggle.

Marnie plays her turquoise drum on the wooden bandstand after the rain. Below her, snails tap acorn caps while sparrows watch beside the splashing fountain.

“Thank you,” said the snails. They cleaned Marnie’s drumsticks until they shone.

The rain stopped. Marnie climbed onto the bandstand. Below her, the snails gathered with little acorn caps.

Tap-tap, tum-tum! played Marnie. The snails tapped their caps. The sparrows chirped. The fountain splashed.

It was the quietest band Marnie had ever led—and everyone in the town square listened very carefully.