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Snizzlewick, a gnome of considerable beard length and an even more considerable frown, had a secret. He couldn't giggle. All the other gnomes in Whispering Woods giggled constantly—little musical trills, booming belly laughs, even silent, shoulder-shaking giggles. But Snizzlewick? Not a single giggle.

He tried. He’d watch his friends rolling in the moss, tears of mirth streaming down their rosy cheeks, and he’d try to force a sound. It always came out as a rather sad "harrumph."

This bothered Snizzlewick immensely. He wanted to join in the spontaneous bursts of gnomey joy. He consulted Grumbles, the oldest and wisest gnome, who rarely giggled but knew a lot about everything.

"Grumbles," Snizzlewick sighed, his frown deepening, "I cannot giggle! What is wrong with me?"

Grumbles, whose beard was even longer than Snizzlewick’s, stroked it thoughtfully. "Hmm," he rumbled. "Perhaps you are looking for the giggle in the wrong place. Giggles are not found; they are… surprised."

Snizzlewick pondered this. Surprised? He tried surprising himself. He’d jump out from behind a mushroom. He’d hide his own hat and then "find" it. Still, only "harrumphs."

One afternoon, a flock of particularly clumsy pigeons flew over Whispering Woods. One pigeon, named Pippin, who was notoriously bad at landing, decided to try a fancy, three-point aerial maneuver. He swooped, he twirled, and then, with a most undignified "thwack!", he landed squarely on Snizzlewick’s head. Not hard enough to hurt, but certainly hard enough to make Snizzlewick’s pointy hat tilt alarmingly.

Snizzlewick blinked. A pigeon on his head? He felt a strange tremor start in his toes, travel up his legs, and then, without warning, a sound burst from him. It wasn't a "harrumph." It was a small, high-pitched, wonderfully silly "hee-hee!"

Pippin, startled, flapped his wings and flew off. Snizzlewick, still feeling the echo of the "hee-hee," looked at Grumbles. Grumbles, for the first time in years, let out a chuckle, a deep, rumbling sound.

Snizzlewick tried again. He thought of Pippin’s clumsy landing, and another "hee-hee!" escaped him. He discovered that the silliest, most unexpected moments were the best giggle-generators.

From that day on, Snizzlewick was still a gnome of considerable beard length, but now, he was also a gnome of occasional, delightful giggles, always on the lookout for life's surprising silliness.