Poppy, a young girl with blue eyes and short blonde hair, stands at her bedroom window, gazing out at her town. She notices the steady hum of diesel engines as adults rush past in their cars, ignoring the beauty just beyond the road. Every morning, she wonders why no one ever walks, and why everyone seems in such a hurry.
Poppy walks to school alone, her backpack bouncing with every step. She tries to catch the eyes of adults behind their steering wheels, but they’re always staring ahead, windows rolled up tight. "Why don’t they walk? Don’t they see what they’re missing?" she whispers to herself, pausing to watch a butterfly land on a dandelion.
That morning, chaos ripples through the town as adults realize they cannot drive their cars to work. Some grumble and fret, others look lost. Poppy hears her neighbor sigh, grabbing sturdy shoes and trudging toward the bakery on foot for the first time in years.
As the adults walk, they begin to notice things they had forgotten: robins hopping on fences, wildflowers bursting through cracks in the pavement, and the soft flutter of butterflies overhead. Poppy smiles as she walks beside her mother, who marvels aloud at the scent of honeysuckle. "Did these flowers always grow here? I never noticed," her mother laughs, and Poppy grins.
Days pass, and some adults realize they enjoy this slower pace. Even after fuel returns to the station, a few decide to keep walking—choosing winding footpaths over busy roads. Poppy waves at neighbors who now greet her with smiles, baskets of wildflowers on their arms.
The town’s wildlife begins to thrive, gardens overflowing with blossoms and songbirds. Poppy stands in the middle of a meadow, surrounded by neighbors who laugh and share stories of the animals they’ve seen. "Walking made us notice the world again," Poppy says, her eyes shining with happiness, as a butterfly lands softly on her hand.
