Laughter Blooms

The sound of Giggles’ booming laughter was infectious, a cascade of happy noise that seemed to bubble up from the very pages of the book. Leo, who had just shyly offered up a joke about a wobbly table that couldn’t stand up straight, watched with wide, hopeful eyes as Giggles clapped their many hands together. “Oh, that’s a good one, Leo! A real knee-slapper!”

And then, it happened. A ripple of giggles, small at first, then growing, joined Giggles’ roar. Leo’s head snapped up. He looked around. Near the big, comfy beanbag chairs, a group of children who had been quietly absorbed in their own books were looking over. A little girl with pigtails, who had been tracing the pictures in a fairy tale, had a wide smile on her face. A boy with glasses, who had been poring over a book about dinosaurs, let out a snort of amusement. They were looking at *him*. And they were laughing.

A strange feeling, warm and tingly, spread through Leo’s chest. It was like sunshine blooming inside him. He had always loved jokes, loved the clever wordplay, the silly scenarios, the sudden burst of surprise that made people laugh. He’d read hundreds of them, memorizing them, practicing them in the quiet of his room, but he’d never actually *told* one to anyone. Not really. Not where he expected a real reaction.