Aurelia Squirrel pulls a bright red wagon through a warm neighborhood market while Nick Bear follows and Dena Fox approaches with a covered baby carriage.

A MAPLE STREET MARKET STORY

The Very Full Welcome Wagon

Aurelia points eagerly across a bustling market while Nick stands beside an empty red wagon.

Mama was bringing Baby Cosmo home that morning. She would meet Aurelia and Nick at Maple Street Market at noon. Aurelia decided they needed the biggest welcome anyone had ever pulled in a wagon.

Nick carefully arranges bread, peaches, and a potted marigold in the red wagon while Aurelia studies the remaining space.

She chose a round loaf, a heap of yellow peaches, and a marigold in a clay pot. Nick arranged everything carefully. “There,” he said. “A complete welcome.” Aurelia tried to pull it away. Then she noticed the empty corners.

Aurelia adds a pinwheel, watering can, folded cloth, and button jars to an increasingly crowded wagon.

A pinwheel would make it cheerful. A watering can would make it useful. A striped cloth would make it comfortable. Two jars of buttons would make it… buttonier. Soon the wagon carried nearly everything except the market.

Aurelia strains at the wagon handle as one wheel sinks in mud and the overloaded contents tilt dangerously.

Aurelia pulled. The wagon moved one inch. She pulled again. One wheel sank into a muddy rut. The peaches slid left. The watering can tipped right. Dirt spilled over the marigold’s rim.

Nick offers an open basket while Aurelia builds the wagon’s contents into an even taller stack beneath the market clock.

Nick held out his basket again. “We could carry half.” Aurelia shook her head and shifted everything away from the muddy wheel, building the load higher. “Then how will they know how much I missed them?” The clock began to strike twelve.

The wagon tips in the market square, spilling peaches and buttons as Aurelia sees Dena approaching with a blue baby carriage.

Across the square, Mama appeared behind a blue carriage. Aurelia lifted the muddy wheel and pulled. It sprang free. The tall pile swayed once—and tipped. Peaches rolled. Buttons pattered. The clay pot landed last. Crack.

Nick examines the spilled wagon while Aurelia looks across the busy market toward Dena and the baby carriage.

Nick steadied the wagon and gathered peaches before they reached the street. Aurelia heard a tiny squeak from the carriage. She could rebuild her enormous welcome—or reach Cosmo while he was still waiting.

Aurelia returns the loaf to the rabbit baker and gathers peaches in his spare basket while leaving the pinwheel with a little mouse.

“Help me make this right,” Aurelia told Nick. She returned the loaf to the baker, gathered the peaches into his spare basket, and left the pinwheel with the little mouse. Then she and Nick carried the remaining things back to their stalls.

Aurelia runs through the market with a bent marigold behind her ear while Nick holds the empty red wagon.

Her grand welcome was gone. Only the marigold remained, its stem bent and its pot broken. They parked the empty wagon at the edge of the square. Aurelia tucked the flower behind one ear and ran with both arms free.

Aurelia reaches one finger beneath the blue carriage hood while Dena and Nick stand beside her and the empty red wagon waits behind them; Baby Cosmo remains unseen.

Aurelia reached the carriage and slipped one finger beneath the blue hood. Cosmo’s tiny paw curled around it. She stayed very still. Mama stood on one side. Nick stood on the other. The empty wagon waited behind them.