Whyla Wonders Maybe

Whyla is the youngest otter. She is small, she wears a green headband, and she has a head full of wondering. Whyla wonders about everything. Why is the sky blue? Why do fish not get cold? Why does Whyatt always get the warmest spot on the rock?

When Larkin reads a story, Whyla wonders about that too. And she has her own special word. Whyatt says because. Whynn says also because. But Whyla says maybe because.

One evening, Larkin read: “Rabbit did not come to the picnic. Everyone waited, but Rabbit never came.”

“Maybe because Rabbit doesn’t like picnics!” Whyla said quickly.

Whyatt opened his mouth to say that’s not right. But Larkin lifted a wing, gently. “That’s a fine wondering, Whyla. A maybe is a good place to start. Now, what does the story say? Let’s check.”

Larkin read on. “Rabbit loves picnics more than anything. But that morning, Rabbit had a sore throat and a fever, and stayed in bed.”

Whyla’s ears drooped a little. “Oh. So my maybe was wrong.”

A small, prickly feeling crept up her neck, the feeling of being wrong in front of everyone.

But Larkin shook her head kindly. “Not wrong, Whyla. You wondered, and then you checked. That’s exactly what good readers do. Your maybe didn’t fit the story, so now you can let it go and pick a better one.”

Whyla thought about that. The prickly feeling went away. “So I’m allowed to have a maybe that doesn’t fit?”

“Of course,” said Larkin. “Wondering is how you find things. You just have to check.”

So Whyla looked at the words again. “Okay. Rabbit didn’t come because Rabbit was sick.”

“There it is,” said Whyatt, smiling.

From then on, Whyla kept saying maybe because. She said it about stories, and about rain, and about why Whyatt always got the warmest spot. (Maybe because he climbs up first, she wondered, and she checked, and it was true.)

That is Whyla’s way. You don’t have to be sure before you speak. You can wonder maybe because. Then you check. If it fits, keep it. If it doesn’t, let it go, and wonder again.