A Leap into Echo Forest

One evening, when the sun was almost hidden away, Tommy sat on the porch feeling very bored.
Suddenly, from behind the shed, a shiny round ball—about the size of a watermelon—rolled out. It stopped right at his feet and squeaked:

“Help… open…”

“Who are you?” Tommy bent down and touched the ball’s smooth surface. It was warm!

The ball trembled, split open like a flower, and inside sat a tiny wooden figure—a little man with a face smeared in something that looked like tar.

“I’m Splinter! And I’m in trouble!”