Hawkins Hollow Nursery Rhymes
Maple Hollow Bell Dialogue
Child-facing question: Can three friends vote without speaking, leave one safe part unfinished for later, and let a snail stay exactly where it is? Dominant anchor: Point, pause, choose. Cast: Lex balances the bell and later holds the first miniature base; Brandon Rabbit compares route widths and later checks the clear return; Aleea notices the snail, points first to the wider test, and places the unfinished promise marker. Brandon is barefoot by default. Lillian and Zylar were considered as available, but the exact three-part bell, route, and evidence roles remain clearest with the named trio.
Rhyme
The Bell Beside the Snail
Two paths brought three friends toward mud kitchen,
one from each side of the way.
Lex came with Aleea; Brandon came alone;
no one had to match another pace.
At maple hollow, one balance bell
rested on a little wooden base.
Lex held it level. Brandon watched the turns.
Aleea noticed a snail in the damp shade.
“Straight?” asked Lex.
Brandon pointed to the narrow test.
“Wide?” asked Aleea.
All three pointed to the wider bend.
The silent pointing became their vote:
one point, two points, three.
No voice had to hurry the choice.
The wider mark stayed easy to see.
They tried it first in miniature—
base, bell, and two small route pieces.
The straight piece passed too near the snail.
The bent piece left a quiet margin.
“Finish the marker?” Lex asked.
Brandon looked toward fern trail.
Aleea pointed back to the snail,
then rested one unfinished peg beside the bend.
The unfinished piece meant, “Later.”
It promised another careful try.
For now, they reversed before fern trail
and followed the wider return.
Back toward mud kitchen, Brandon checked the space.
Lex carried the balance bell level.
Aleea watched the shaded patch.
The snail stayed still where the dew shone.
No bell rang over its shell.
No route crossed its resting place.
The visible bend showed what they had changed;
the living thing remained undisturbed.
About This Rhyme
Performance style: Spoken tiny dialogue poem with optional pointing, miniature placement, quiet voting, and stillness.
Estimated spoken length: About 90 seconds.
Ways to Join In
- Set out a straight piece and a bent piece; let children point silently to their choice.
- Count the held points without requiring speech.
- Finish with a still-hands cue and leave the pretend snail untouched.