The Wombat's Welcome Mat

Deep in the bush beneath a gum tree, a wombat named Wanda keeps a burrow that is tidy and sized for just one. She has never had neighbors, so when a kookaburra brings word that newcomers are moving into the old hollow by the creek, Wanda starts to picture what they might be like and wants them to feel welcome straight away. Seeing that her entrance is a tight squeeze, she ties on her dusty mustard-yellow work apron and begins to dig.

Each day she widens the opening, shapes a tunnel that curves like a smile, and hollows out a large sitting room below ground. She smooths the walls, packs the floor flat, lines the space with dried grass and moss, and sets a flat stone as a table with smooth pebbles to sit on. This gentle tale by Çınar BİBER follows the quiet preparations and the evening that follows, and can be read on Masalcı Baba.