Blackberry Arch

Alice lifts the plain wooden side of the ladder.
Kaydence checks the seed-filled rungs.
Haylee notices one chrysalis hanging beside the sound space.

Round One — Four Sounds

All: Tap, hum, brush, shake.

The bright top rung catches dusk light,
but the plain lower rung stays steady.

Round Two — Three Sounds

The shake drops out.

All: Tap, hum, brush.

The chrysalis remains still.

Round Three — Two Sounds

The brush drops out.

All: Tap, hum.

Kaydence sees the stem move once when the tap lands too close.

Kaydence: Stop before the finish.

Safety Turn

Alice moves the ladder farther from the stem.
Haylee keeps the space beside the chrysalis clear.
No one touches the chrysalis.

All: Less sound, more room.
Let the quiet help us choose.

Round Four — One Sound

The hum drops out.

Alice: Tap.

The tap comes from the plain lower rung, away from the stem.

Round Five — No Made Sound

The tap drops out.

No child makes the missing beat.

Lavender dusk settles over the ladder.
Barely moving air leaves the chrysalis still.
One dry seed shell waits inside the lowest rung.

Windmill Path

They follow the altered safe route back to windmill path.

Alice places the ladder beside one dry wooden edge.
Kaydence watches the lowest rung.
Haylee keeps the clear side open.

The dry seed shell settles against the rung:

tik.

The ordinary background sound completes the rhythm.

Closing Lines

All: We chose the rung that helped us hear,
and left the living stem clear.