Curious Fox Starts School

Mina Alderwood stood outside the school gate with her backpack snug on her shoulders and her tail fluttering behind her.

The morning air smelled of wet grass, warm bread, and fresh paint. Beyond the gate, the school stood bright and busy, with red steps leading to a wide front door. Mina could see round windows, flower boxes, and a row of tiny hooks just inside.

“Classes must begin in there,” she whispered.

She lifted one paw toward the gate. Her whiskers tipped forward. There was so much to see. A blue bird perched on the fence. A yellow leaf spun across the path. Somewhere inside the school, a pencil rolled with a soft tap-tap-tap.

Mina took one small step.

Then she noticed the sign.

It hung on the gate at eye level. The letters were large and dark:

PLEASE WAIT.

ENTER WHEN THE BELL RINGS.

WALK.

USE QUIET VOICES.

Mina read it twice.

“Wait?” she said. “But what if I am already late?”

She looked up at the school. No one seemed to be waiting at the gate. A squirrel hurried across the yard with a lunch bag. Two rabbits walked side by side, whispering. A badger child held the hand of an older badger.

Mina touched the gate. The metal felt cool beneath her paw.

Just then, a bell rang.

BONG!

Mina jumped so quickly that her backpack bumped the gate.

BONG! BONG!

The sound rolled across the yard and bounced off the school walls. Mina’s ears folded down. She could feel the bell in her paws.

“Is that the school beginning?” she wondered. “Or is it telling me to go?”

The gate swung open a little. Mina slipped through before it could close again.

She meant to walk. She really did. But the schoolyard was full of new smells and sounds. Chalk dust floated near the steps. A tray of cinnamon buns cooled on a windowsill. From somewhere inside came a burst of laughter, followed by the scrape of chairs.

Mina’s feet carried her faster.

“Walk,” she reminded herself.

She slowed for three steps.

Then a bright red ball rolled past her nose.

Mina followed it.

The ball bumped against the bottom step and stopped. Mina crouched beside it. Painted on the step was a small white arrow pointing toward the front door.

“Perhaps this is the way,” Mina said.

She picked up the ball and carried it to the steps. At the top, she saw another sign.

STOP AT THE LINE.

WAIT FOR A TEACHER.

ONE AT A TIME.

A blue line stretched across the stone in front of the door.

Mina stopped with one paw just behind it.

She looked at the open doorway. It was only a few steps away. Inside, the hall glowed with sunshine. Coats hung in neat rows. A clock ticked above a shelf of books.

Mina leaned forward.

A loud whistle pierced the air.

Peeeeep!

Mina dropped the red ball.

It bounced down one step, then another, and rolled back toward the gate.

Mina stared at it. Her tail puffed out, though nothing was chasing her. She could hear feet moving behind the door. She could hear voices, too, but the words mixed together.

“Line!”

“Wait!”

“Not yet!”

Mina pressed her paws over her ears.

“I do not know what to do,” she said.

A small rabbit stopped beside her. He wore a green scarf and carried a lunch bag with a picture of a moon on it.

“Are you new?” he asked.

Mina lowered her paws. “Yes. I am Mina. I am trying to find where classes begin.”

“I am Theo,” said the rabbit. He pointed to the blue line. “We wait here until Ms. Rowan calls us.”

Mina glanced at the doorway. “But the door is open.”

“It is,” Theo agreed.

“And the gate was open.”

“It was.”

“So why can’t I go in?”

Theo looked at the sign. “Because the sign says to wait.”

Mina frowned at the letters. “It says many things.”

Theo nodded. “School has many rules.”

Mina picked up the red ball. “I thought rules were for stopping fun.”

Theo’s ears lifted. “This one helps everyone know what to do.”

Behind them, another child came to the steps. A little mouse stood with a purple hat pulled low over her eyes. She looked at the blue line, then at the other children.

“Is this where we wait?” she asked.

Theo moved over. “Yes. You can stand with us.”

The mouse smiled and joined the line.

Mina looked at the three of them. She had wanted to be first inside. She had wanted to discover everything before anyone could tell her she was doing it wrong. But now the door seemed farther away than before.

She placed the red ball beside the wall.

“Maybe I should try again,” she said.

Mina stood behind the blue line. She folded her paws in front of her. She made her tail still.

For a moment, everything seemed easy.

Then a bee hummed near the flower box.

Mina’s nose twitched.

The bee landed on a yellow flower. A drop of water shone on one petal. Mina leaned closer to see it.

Her front paw crossed the blue line.

Peeeeep!

The whistle sounded again.

Mina pulled her paw back. “I’m sorry!”

A tall fox stepped from the doorway. She wore a green sweater and held a small wooden board. Her fur was silver around the nose, and her kind eyes rested on Mina.

“I am Ms. Rowan,” she said....