Javiera placed the green basket on her grandmother's doorstep and quickly stole away before her grandmother could see her. She hurried into the schoolhouse just as the teacher was ringing the bell. When the old woman discovered the little basket, she chuckled to herself: Oh my! How could I have overlooked it last evening. I must be losing my eyesight.
That afternoon everyone gathered at Javiera's cottage. Her mother and father and her sisters and brothers had made a paper flower chain to hang above the table. Her cousins were there and her beloved abuelita was seated at the head of the table, beaming at Javiera.
After the cake was eaten and while everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to Javiera, all the presents were stacked on the table in front of her. Javiera opened the green basket and smiled at her grandmother. "This is my favorite present," she told her abuelita . "I will call the piglet 'Lucky Chanchito .' The doll will remind me of you because you always listen to me, and the beautiful turquoise pebble will be my most special stone. Thank you, Grandma. Thank you for the very special birthday basket."
That night the wind blew down from the mountains once again. The trees and grasses bowed. Clouds of dust from the roads whirled and leaves skittered across the fields. Javiera could not sleep. She worried about the baby sheep and calves outside in the pasture. She worried that her grandmother's roses would be uprooted by the wind. She worried that she would forget the poem she must recite at school the next day.
"Tell it to your doll!" the piglet squeaked. "Then we can all get some sleep."
Of course! Javiera thought. She whispered to her doll and tucked her under the pillow. "Thank you, Lucky Chanchito ," she said. And after one big yawn, she was soon dreaming of little green baskets rolling before the wind.
