The Trailpost Club

Long before he carried letters across Tartbeat, Mr. Thistlewick Turtleton lived a quiet life near the edge of the Laterntrail Woods. He was known for two things: his impeccable manners and his astonishing ability to remember every path, pebble, and petal he’d ever passed. While other creatures hurried through their days, Thistlewick preferred to take his time — not out of laziness, but because he believed the world revealed its best secrets only to those who moved slowly enough to notice them.

One morning, as he sipped dew from a leaf and watched the sunrise stretch across the Sweetheart Garden, a small envelope fluttered down from a passing bird. It was addressed to no one in particular, sealed with a heart, and carried a simple message inside:

“To whoever finds this:
May your day be gentle,
and may you carry kindness wherever you go.”

Thistlewick was so touched that he decided to deliver the letter to someone who might need it. It took him the better part of the day — he stopped to admire flowers, greet ladybugs, and let a family of ducklings cross the path — but when he finally placed the letter on a lonely doorstep, he felt something warm settle in his shell.

The next day, he found another letter. And another. And another.

Some were lost. Some were forgotten. Some were written by shy creatures who didn’t know how to send them. Thistlewick gathered them all, sorting them carefully in a little satchel he tied around his shell. Soon, the creatures of Tartbeat began leaving letters on purpose — thank‑yous, invitations, pressed flowers, tiny poems, and notes of encouragement.

And so, without ever applying for the job, Mr. Thistlewick Turtleton became the official mail‑carrier of Tartbeat.

He built his home inside the Lanterntrail Post House, a cozy old-time post office with creaky floors, warm lantern light, and shelves full of neatly bundled mail. Every month, he sets out on his route, delivering not just letters, but a little bit of Tartbeat magic to anyone who wishes to receive it.