Neighborly kindness and community
The Card That Went for a Walk
Lily makes a Christmas card for her neighbor Mr. Alvarez, but a gust of wind sends it traveling through the building. Neighbors add a stamp, a bun, a cat, a snowman, mittens, and stars, turning Lily's card into a gift from the whole building.
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20 pagesPage 1
Lily Lin lived on the fourth floor of the Maple Street building, right across the hall from Mr. Alvarez. Every morning he waved at her through his little window. Today Lily had a secret: a Christmas card, folded and folded again, with a green tree and one gold star.
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"For Mr. Alvarez," she whispered, and drew a tiny red bird on the corner. She put on her coat, held the card tight, and opened her door. Mr. Alvarez's door was only nine steps away.
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Then the wind came. Whoosh! It rushed down the hallway, and the card lifted out of Lily's hand like a little bird. "Come back!" cried Lily, and she ran after it.
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The card slid down the stairs, one step at a time. Lily hurried after it, but her boots were slow. At the bottom she found only an empty step. "Where did you go?" she said.
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Down in the lobby, the mail carrier, Miss Okafor, was stacking letters. She spotted something white under the railing. "Well, hello," she said. "A card with no name on the front?" She turned it over and saw Lily's red bird.
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"I know whose bird this is," said Miss Okafor, and she set the card on the lobby table. Then she picked up her pen and drew something small beside the tree. "There. Now it has a stamp."
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Next came Mr. Bell from the bakery, carrying a tray of rolls. He saw the card and smiled. "A card on a journey!" he said. He drew a tiny warm bun with three little steam lines, right under the green tree.
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Lily reached the lobby just as Mr. Bell turned away. On the table lay her card, but it was not alone anymore. There was a stamp. There was a bun. "Who drew these?" she asked.
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Then a gust of wind came again. Whoosh! The card fluttered up and landed on the stairs. Lily ran after it, but Mrs. Park from the second floor was already there, holding it gently with two fingers.
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"This card is too lovely to lose," said Mrs. Park. She drew a little cat with a curly tail, then took a piece of tape from her pocket. She taped the card to the lobby board. "Now everyone can see it."
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Lily stood in front of the board and stared. Her green tree was still there. Her gold star was still there. But around them were a stamp, a bun, and a cat with a curly tail.
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"Excuse me," said a small voice. It was Sam from the first floor, holding a crayon. "May I draw too?" Lily nodded. Sam drew a snowman with a carrot nose, very carefully.
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Then Mr. Ito from the third floor stopped with his shopping bag. He drew a pair of mittens. The twins from apartment 5B drew two bright stars. Someone drew a bowl of soup. Someone drew a dog.
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Lily's hands were empty now, but her heart felt full. "It isn't just my card anymore," she said. "It's the whole building's card." Then she thought of something. "But it still has to get to Mr. Alvarez."
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She reached up and peeled the tape away, slowly and carefully. "I'll bring it back," she promised the neighbors. "I'll bring it back after he sees it." Everyone nodded, and Sam held the door for her.
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Up the stairs she climbed, past the second floor, past the third. She held the card with both hands, flat and safe, so the wind could not catch it. Nine steps from her door, she stopped and took a deep breath.
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Mr. Alvarez opened his door. "Lily!" he said. "I was watching for you. I thought the wind took your card away." Lily held it up. "It did," she said. "But it came back with friends."
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Mr. Alvarez looked at the stamp, the bun, the cat, the snowman, the mittens, and all the little stars. He was quiet for a moment. "Everyone in this building drew on my card?" he asked. Lily nodded.
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"Then everyone in this building is saying Merry Christmas to me," said Mr. Alvarez. He found a piece of red ribbon and hung the card on his door, right where he could see it from his chair.
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That night Lily stood at her window. Across the hall, Mr. Alvarez's card glowed in the hallway light, covered in tiny pictures from every floor. She waved. He waved back, just like every morning — only now the card waved too.