Alphabet Allie's Arc

Chapter 5 of 7

Allie sat on the grass beside the cat and the dog, feeling something settle inside her. The catnip scattered around them smelled sharp and sweet. She'd saved the cat without saying a word about letters. She'd just acted, and it had been enough. But then she heard hoofbeats from beyond the fence. Allie stood and walked toward the sound. Through the slats, she saw a small red barn with white trim. A baby donkey stood in front of it, gray with soft ears and dark eyes. He paced back and forth, kicking at the ground. Then he stopped at a stone fountain shaped like a donkey frozen mid-kick. Water sprayed from its hooves. The real donkey stared at his stone twin for a long moment. He looked confused, like he was trying to understand why someone had made a statue of him. Allie's chest tightened. She knew that feeling. The donkey turned and saw her watching. He walked to the fence, and Allie noticed a white mug sitting on a post nearby. Dark hot chocolate filled it to the brim, with bright green dill scattered on top like strange confetti. The donkey nudged the mug with his nose, then looked back at Allie. His eyes were asking something she couldn't quite name. She thought about the sign with the tumbling cat, about the B-shaped doghouse, about her own A-shaped home. Someone had made the fountain to show this donkey mattered. But the donkey didn't seem to know that yet. He was still searching. Allie reached through the fence and touched the donkey's soft nose. He didn't pull away. She thought about her alphabet dress, about all the times she'd tried to explain why letters mattered and felt invisible doing it. This donkey had a whole fountain celebrating him, but he still didn't know his worth. Allie realized she couldn't make him see it any more than words alone could make grown-ups see letters as alive. Worth wasn't something you could give someone. It was something they had to find for themselves. She pulled her hand back and watched the donkey return to his pacing. Her throat felt tight, but she understood now. Some things took more than action or words. Some things took time she couldn't control.