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On the peg
The coat had been hanging on the low peg for two days.
Pavo had looked at it every time he passed.
It was the color of a hazelnut shell.
At last he asked Nana if it might be his.
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Trying it on
Nana lifted it down.
Pavo put in one paw, then the other.
Both disappeared inside the sleeves.
The coat reached below his knees.
'It has started growing before me,' he said.
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Paws again
Nana turned the cuffs back.
Pavo's paws came out.
He opened and closed them to make sure.
The sleeves were better.
The bottom of the coat still brushed his legs when he walked.
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A little less
Nana folded the hem a little higher.
Pavo stood very still.
'Here?' she asked.
He took a careful step, then another.
His knees had room to bend.
Nana nodded and took the coat to her chair.
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While Nana worked
Pavo sat on the rug in his sweater.
Nana's hands moved over the folded cloth.
The coat lay across her lap.
Pavo watched the thread appear and disappear.
It was a very small journey, over and over.
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The second fitting
This time the coat stopped above his knees.
Pavo stretched both paws toward the ceiling.
He bent to touch the rug.
Nothing tugged.
Nana smoothed one shoulder.
'There is still room for tomorrow,' she said.
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Two empty places
Outside, Pavo found the pockets.
He put one paw in each.
They were deeper than the pockets in his shorts.
He walked with them empty for a while.
Having room was pleasant, even before he filled it.
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One small choice
A smooth acorn cup lay beside the path.
Pavo picked it up.
He brushed away a crumb of soil and put it in one pocket.
The other pocket stayed empty.
He liked knowing which was which.
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Back through the door
The garden grew chilly.
Pavo fastened the coat and went indoors.
Nana was putting her thread away.
He showed her the acorn cup.
'It has a coat too,' she said.
Pavo looked at its rough little outside.
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A place for Nana's thread
A loose length of thread had fallen beside the chair.
Pavo picked it up for Nana.
For one step, he carried it in his empty pocket.
Then he handed it over.
Now both pockets had been useful.
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His own peg
He took off the coat and hung it on the low peg.
The sleeves kept Nana's careful folds.
Pavo put the acorn cup on the shelf above.
Tomorrow he could choose whether it came along again.
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Room for morning
At bedtime, he passed the coat once more.
It looked a little different now.
Not newer.
More like something that knew where his paws belonged.
Pavo touched one empty pocket and went to find Nana.
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