Counter Counts the Market Apples

Counter was a tidy grey mouse who ran the Counting Stall on the market street. Baskets of apples sat in a row, and Counter loved to count them — but always the careful way: touch each apple one time, and say one number for each touch.

“One,” said Counter, tapping the first apple. “Two.” “Three.” One little tap, one little number. His paw moved slow so he would never skip an apple, and never count the same one twice. Every apple got its own turn, and every turn got its own number.

A hurrying squirrel counted much too fast — “onetwothreefour!” — pointing at the air between the apples. “Gently,” said Counter, not cross at all. “One touch, one number.” They tried again together, tapping each apple soft and slow, and this time not a single apple was missed.

When Counter touched the last apple, he said, “four.” Then he stopped. “So how many apples?” the squirrel asked. Counter smiled. “Four. The last number I said — that’s how many there are.” He did not need to start over. The last count was the total.

At the end of the day, Counter looked at his baskets, all counted true. Four here, three there, each one touched once and named once. He didn’t need to count them all again to feel sure. He already knew — and the knowing felt calm and round and good.