1The sun came up soft and golden over the backyard garden. Hello Kitty stepped outside in her blue overalls and red shirt. My Melody skipped out beside her, her pink hood swinging gently.
2"Look!" said My Melody, pointing with one small white paw. All along the garden bed, the flower buds had come up overnight — round and smooth, just like little buttons on a coat.
3My Melody counted on her paws. "One, two, three, four, five — oh! Six button buds!"
4They named every color they could see: scarlet, butter-yellow, lilac, white, tangerine — and one mysterious bud with a deep green tip. "What color will that one be?" My Melody wondered.
5Hello Kitty chose a flat round stone near the fence. My Melody found another beside the birdbath. Back and forth they went, curving a path left, then right, then left again.
6They walked the new path together, one careful step at a time. The stones were cool and smooth under their paws. At every button bud, they stopped and looked.
7"One, two, three, four, five, six petals!" counted My Melody, bending close to the scarlet flower.
8"Seven on this yellow one," said Hello Kitty softly, so as not to startle it.
9The last green tip trembled and went pale. Slowly, a blush spread upward — rosy, then deeper, then a bright and blazing coral pink. My Melody let out a delighted breath.
10Hello Kitty smiled with her whole round face and squeezed My Melody's paw. The coral bloom stood open at the end of the winding path, and the whole button garden glowed around them.
