The Box of Holes. Carmen Gil

      

      To Charo Romeu, who knows how to look at the world

       through the holes in the air.

      - Carmen Gil -

      To my niece Carla and my nephews Miguel and Rodrigo,

       hoping that their dreams fill up with holes

       like the ones in this story.

      - Mónica Carretero -

       The Box of Holes

      Text © Carmen Gil

       Illustrations © Mónica Carretero

       This edition © 2013 Cuento de Luz SL

       Calle Claveles 10 | Urb Monteclaro | Pozuelo de Alarcón | 28223 | Madrid | Spain

       www.cuentodeluz.com Title in Spanish: La caja de los agujeros English translation by Jon Brokenbrow

      ISBN: 978-84-15784-44-9

      Printed by Shanghai Chenxi Printing Co., Ltd. xxxx 2013, print number xxx

      All rights reserved

      Andrea arrived home with a big smile on her

       face. In her hands she held the box of holes

       that Mr. Gordon had sold her.

      Her mom, however, was anything but happy.

      “Andrea, holes aren’t anything! That box is empty!”

       “It isn’t empty,” insisted the little girl, and she

       ran off to her bedroom, clutching the box tightly

       against her chest.

      She opened it carefully, put her hand inside, and felt as

       though hundreds of butterflies were fluttering in her heart.

      Andrea took a hole from inside the box and looked at it

       inquisitively. It was shaped like a peanut, or an oak leaf.

      Suddenly, she heard a tiny, angry voice.

      “That’s mine!” It was a mouse with big ears, and he was running around one

       of the legs of the chair. “I work for the Tooth Fairy, and what you just

       pulled out of that box is one of the holes from my favorite cheese.”

      Andrea was amazed. Imagine talking to a mouse who collects teeth!

      The mouse grabbed his hole and ran off down the hall, grumbling to himself:

       “Don’t make me waste my time. I’ve got lots of dollar bills to stick under

       hundreds of kids’ pillows. I’m in a real rush!”

      After watching the little mouse mutter his way down the hall, Andrea went

       back to her room.

      She eagerly pulled another hole from the box. This one was the size

       of a marmalade jar.