小皮球在狐狸家族裡排行老大，因為實在是太調皮了所以大家都叫牠小皮球。從小就有過動的牠喜歡追著青蛙到處跑，或抓著小蛇捉弄同學們，整座森林對牠而言根本就是遊樂園，牠的童年幾乎沒有停下來的時候～
Little Bouncy Ball was the eldest in the fox family, and because he was such a mischievous little thing, everyone called him just that—Bouncy Ball. Since he was young, he’d always been full of energy, darting after frogs all over the place, or snatching little snakes to prank his friends. The whole forest was his playground, and his childhood was one of constant adventure!
直到有一天跟小刺蝟玩捉迷藏的時候，小皮球意外地走到一間木屋旁，木屋裡面傳來敲敲打打的聲音？在手心呵氣將有點霧氣的玻璃，抹出了一雙圓圓的小洞。小皮球看到滿屋子都是精緻的皮革製品，牆上貼滿的訂單和工具與材料。
One day, while playing hide-and-seek with a hedgehog friend, Bouncy Ball accidentally wandered to a cozy wooden cottage. Inside, he heard the gentle sounds of tapping and hammering. He rubbed his little paws on the glass to clear away the mist and peered through two round spots he’d created. What he saw was amazing—a room filled with finely crafted leather goods, walls lined with orders, and all kinds of tools and materials.
看見一位老奶奶拿著木槌輕輕敲打著一條皮帶，在皮革邊緣打出了一排整齊精緻的小洞後，奶奶拿出了針線慢慢的一個一個縫合。就在這三個小時的時間，幾乎是小狐狸這輩子最安靜的一段時間了！接下來的每一天，牠像著魔似的固定到小木屋偷偷看著老奶奶工作，牠拿著樹皮和刺蝟送牠的小刺針，偷認真的刻畫著筆記。
Inside, an elderly lady fox was gently tapping a wooden mallet along the edge of a belt, carefully punching a neat row of tiny, beautiful holes. She then took up needle and thread, stitching each hole with delicate precision. Bouncy Ball watched in awe, hardly moving for what must have been three whole hours—easily the quietest he’d ever been in his life! From that day on, he was drawn back to that cottage, almost as if enchanted, sneaking over to watch the lady work. With bark as his paper and tiny needles from his hedgehog friend, he’d carve notes, trying to capture every detail.
時間過了一 年，轉眼就這樣不知不覺又來到了秋天～今天老奶奶好像不在？木屋裡面黑漆漆的一點光線都沒有。小皮球在窗台上看到一個包裹，走進看，上面畫了由線條繞成的狐狸圖案，原來如此～這是老奶奶送給小皮球的禮物！裡面放的就是奶奶最常用的那一套工具，而且還有一件跟老奶奶一模一樣的橘色皮革工作服，小小的尺寸，小皮球穿起來完全剛剛好～原來老奶奶早就知道，窗戶外面有一雙可愛又認真的大眼睛在偷看了！這一年都故意放慢動作，讓小皮球可以好好地看清楚所有的製作流程，也故意的會移到窗戶看的到的地方工作，老奶奶把自己最喜愛的那套工具送給了小狐狸，小皮球真的開心極了！因為牠終於可以動手試看看了～
A whole year passed, and once again, autumn arrived. But today, something was different—the cottage was dark, no warm light inside. Bouncy Ball noticed a package on the windowsill with a little fox drawn in looping lines on it. Excited, he opened it to find the very set of tools he’d watched the elderly lady use countless times! And, there was a small orange leather apron, just like the one she wore, perfectly sized for him. It was then he realized—the lady had known all along about the curious little eyes watching through the window! She’d even slowed down her work, moving right where Bouncy Ball could see every step of her craft. She’d gifted him her most treasured tools, and he was overjoyed, ready to try his paw at the craft himself!
就這樣過了好幾年～小皮球和老奶奶一樣保持著一個窗戶的距離，但他們的的心理卻像是無互不談的好朋友。這樣的關係，一直到了有天木屋裡面的燈與敲打聲不再出現才停止。小皮球知道奶奶應該去了那一個很遠很遠的地方～牠輕輕推開木門，看著牆上那些還未完成的訂單，小皮球決定幫奶奶把這些未完成的訂單完成！
The years rolled by, with Bouncy Ball and the elderly lady sharing a quiet understanding from either side of that window. Their bond was as strong as any friendship, even though they never spoke a word. One day, though, the cottage was silent—no warm light, no sound of tapping. Bouncy Ball knew she must have gone somewhere far, far away. Gently, he nudged the door open and looked at the wall, filled with her unfinished orders. He decided then and there to complete them in her honor.
已經是一手好工藝的牠，做的跟奶奶一樣的好～小皮球將完成的成品，跟奶奶一樣地放到信箱裡，結果一樣隔天就有人會來收走。也因此老奶奶的皮件又開始販售了！連奶奶的幾十年的老客人，都沒有發現任何不一樣地方，唯一不同的點，應該就是皮革上面多了那個小小可愛的狐狸標誌 🦊
Now a skilled artisan in his own right, Bouncy Ball crafted each piece with the same care as she had. Every finished item was placed in the mailbox, just as she’d done, and each was collected the next day. Soon, the lady’s leather goods were back in circulation, her old customers none the wiser. The only difference? Each piece now bore a tiny, charming fox logo 🦊—a mark from Bouncy Ball, a heartfelt tribute to his beloved teacher.
