Ivy had put on her yellow raincoat before anyone else had found their shoes.
"The puddles will be waiting," she said.
Outside, the rain had stopped. Drops still sat on the fence and on the leaves by the gate. Ivy's rabbit, Button, was in his little travel basket, wearing the blue scarf that made his ears look very serious.
Ivy was allowed to walk to the corner with Mum. There was a puddle there that was so wide it looked almost like a pond. Ivy made one careful jump into it.
Splash.
Button made a tiny thump inside his basket.
"One more?" asked Ivy.
Mum smiled. "One more. Then home for supper."
Ivy stepped around the puddle to choose the best jumping place. Something small and bright caught her eye near the drain. It was not a coin. It was not a button. It was a little brown seed with a soft gold light inside it.
"Look," said Ivy.
The seed gave a warm blink.
Then Button made another thump. This one sounded worried.
At the edge of the pavement, a snail was trying to cross a thin stream of rainwater. The stream was not big for Ivy, but it was very big for a snail. Each time the snail leaned forward, the water pushed it back.
Ivy held the lantern seed in her palm. It blinked again.
"I think it wants us to help," she said.
Mum found a broad leaf. Ivy placed it beside the snail like a little bridge. The snail moved onto it, slowly and carefully. Ivy and Mum watched until it reached the other side.
The lantern seed shone a little brighter.
"Thank you, small bridge," Ivy whispered.
On the way home, Ivy carried the seed in the pocket of her yellow raincoat. It glowed once near the garden wall, where a ladybird was upside down on a wet stone. Ivy held out a dry leaf. The ladybird climbed onto it and opened its red wings when the leaf reached the hedge.
The seed glowed brighter still.
At home, Ivy took off her wet boots. Button was put back in his warm hutch, where he ate a piece of carrot as if he had done all the helping himself.
"Where will the seed sleep?" Ivy asked.
Mum found a small jar and put a soft cloth inside. Ivy placed the lantern seed on top. It made one last golden blink.
That night, from her bed, Ivy could see the jar on the windowsill. Outside, the puddles were quiet. Inside, Button was quiet too.
Ivy closed her eyes and thought of the snail, the ladybird and the little light that knew when someone needed help.
"Goodnight, lantern seed," she said.
The room felt warm and still, and Ivy was soon asleep.