Old Thimble

Who is Old Thimble?

Old Thimble is a hedgehog. She has kept the Moon Garden longer than anyone can remember. She wears a patched apron, tied twice round her middle, and she has very old knees.

What does Old Thimble do?

Old Thimble looks after the Moonflower. It blooms only once a year, at the stroke of midnight. If it does not bloom by midnight, the whole garden falls asleep for a year.

One night, something was wrong in the garden. “Oh, thank goodness,” said Old Thimble when Vela arrived. “A girl with a lantern.”

Vela tried to help the Moonflower open. She tried more light. “Too bright!” She tried more water. “Too much!” She tried to open the petals with her fingers. “STOP!”

What did Old Thimble teach Vela?

Old Thimble taught Vela the hardest thing of all: to do nothing, and wait.

Some things only grow when you are patient, and gentle, and kind. When the Moonflower opened at last, Old Thimble gave Vela a moonflower seed, for being patient. That is much harder than being clever.

What is Old Thimble like?

Old Thimble is fussy, warm, and wise. She scolds a little. But she always means well.

Try this tonight

Can you wait for something without peeking? Close your eyes and count slowly to twenty before you open them again. That is Old Thimble’s kind of magic.

Mysteries

Some things about Old Thimble are still a mystery, even to us:

• How old is Old Thimble?
• Who kept the Moon Garden before her?
• What else grows in the Moon Garden that we have not seen yet?

Maybe the stories will tell us one day.