Morning Steps
Mia wakes to sunlight. She hears soft giggles in the kitchen. Tom and Lily are there, tying bright scarves. They whisper, smiling. Today feels like a surprise.
"Look!" says Tom, pointing to the floor. Little footprints in pink paint hop across the hall. They are small and round. They shine a little. The children clap. Each footstep glows with a different color. Pink, blue, green, yellow.
"We must follow them," says Lily, very sure. She takes a blue scarf. Mia takes a pink hat. Tom grabs a tiny basket. They hold hands and step after the footprints. The house smells like toast and orange juice. Sun pours in through the window.
The footprints lead out the door. They hop along the garden path. Birds sing above. Flowers wake up and nod. The footprints skip by the tulips and around the pond. Every step leaves a little sparkle. The children hop too. Their feet match the paint. They laugh when their toes tickle the grass.
Along the Path
A small wooden bridge shows a blue paw print in the middle. "Is the Easter Bunny hiding?" Mia asks. They look under the bridge. A tiny ribbon rests there. It is tied in a loop like a smile. They find a carrot crumb beside it. "He ate a snack," says Tom, making a silly face. Lily giggles.
The footprints go on, through the trees. A yellow trail leads them to a bush full of shiny eggs hanging like lanterns. The eggs wink. They are painted with stripes and dots. "Hello!" says a little egg. The children whisper back, "Hello!" They do not touch yet. They follow the trail deeper into the yard.
A rainbow of steps curves around the big oak. Sunbeams warm their cheeks. They reach a patch of soft moss. There are tiny footprints that sparkle like sugar. Mia crouches down. She finds a note on a leaf. It reads, "For curious hearts." Tom reads it aloud. Their eyes grow wide in a calm, happy way.
The Surprise
At the end of the path sits a small wooden chest painted like a spring garden. The last footprints dance around it. The children open the chest together. Inside are painted eggs, a little bunny toy, and three tiny scarves—one pink, one blue, one yellow. Each scarf smells faintly of lavender.
"Happy Easter!" they say, all at once. They wrap the scarves around their necks. They share the eggs gently. Some are chocolate. Some are stickers. Some are tiny notes that say kind things. They take turns reading them. They hug the bunny toy.
The sun begins to low and soft. The children sit on the grass and share their snack. They watch the shadows stretch and the sky turn peach. The footprints fade slowly, like a soft promise. Mia, Tom, and Lily hold hands and say, "Thank you."
They walk home together, calm and joyful. Their baskets are full, and their hearts are full too. The garden keeps one small sparkle on the chest, to remember the day. They go inside for warm milk, and they dream of colours and kind little hops.
