The Bridge of One Hundred Steps

Theo arrives at a luminous bridge over a misty river, where an old sign promises one hundred steps to the far bank. He needs to reach a distant village before sunset, so he begins to climb. Every tenth plank brings Pip, a tiny winged guardian, who sets a modest task: noticing an odd stone among blue ones, letting an hourglass run out, loosening a knot without tugging, guiding a lost butterfly, listening to the river, balancing a feather, or uncovering a hidden star. Each challenge asks for a different kind of care.

Partway across, Theo falls in with a friendly merchant in a rust-red coat heading the same direction. The merchant shares what many crossings have taught him: the challenges come regularly, but they are small, so attend to the next step and the far side will arrive. Near the end, Pip hands Theo a seed to plant in a crack and a wish to make for someone else, and Theo thinks of his little sister, ill at home. This gentle quest by Yavuz DEMİRKIRAN can be read on Online Masal.