Albin Moises was an Inventor. He was small, gentle, and very curious. He liked to tap, twist, and click things.
One bright morning, Albin stood in his Laboratory. The room was full of jars and shiny tools. A little lamp blinked. A tiny wheel spun.
Albin said, “Hello, busy bolts. Hello, happy gears.”
Knock, knock.
In came the Prince. He wore a soft cape and big boots. He looked worried.
“Albin,” said the Prince, “my music box is quiet. No song. No twinkle.”
Albin nodded. “We can fix it. We will be careful.”
The Prince held out the music box. It was silver. It had a star on top. But the star did not shine.
Albin opened a drawer. “We need a key,” he said. “A small, small key.”
Just then, the lights in the Laboratory flickered.
Whoosh.
A Wizard swirled in like smoke. His robe was dark. His hat was tall. His eyes were sharp.
“I took the key,” the Wizard said. “No music for the Prince!”
The Prince made a tiny gasp. “Oh!”
Albin held up his hands. “No scares,” he said in a calm voice. “We can talk.”
The Wizard huffed. “I like quiet. Quiet, quiet, quiet.”
Albin thought. He was shy, but he was brave. He pointed to a little machine on his table.
It was the Gentle Tick-Tock Box. It made soft sounds: tick… tok… tick… tok… like a friendly heart.
Albin said, “Wizard, try this. It is quiet-friendly. Not loud.”
The Wizard leaned in. “Tick… tok…” His shoulders dropped.
The Prince whispered, “Good idea, Albin.”
Albin smiled. “I build to help,” he said.
The Wizard said, “Maybe… I do not want sad faces. I only want calm.”
Albin nodded. “We can have calm and music. Soft music.”
Albin picked up a tiny screwdriver. He clicked it once. “Click!”
He added a fluffy pad inside the music box. “This makes it gentle,” he said.
The Wizard watched. “Gentle,” he repeated.
Albin asked, “Will you bring the key back?”
The Wizard reached into his sleeve. Out came the little key. It was gold. It sparkled.
The Prince clapped softly. “Yay!”
Albin put the key in. Turn… turn…
The music box began to sing. Not loud. Just sweet.
La-la… la-la…
A small star on top glowed like a night-light.
The Wizard blinked. “It is not too noisy,” he said.
The Prince smiled big. “Thank you!”
Albin said, “Now, a reward for teamwork.”
He opened a cabinet in the Laboratory. Inside was a tray of bright stickers shaped like stars and gears. And a tiny new tool: a pocket wrench that went “snap!”
Albin gave the Prince the star stickers. “For your music box.”
He kept the pocket wrench. “For my next kind invention.”
The Wizard got one sticker too. A moon sticker. He put it on his hat.
“Calm moon,” he said.
They listened to the soft song together. The Laboratory felt warm. The Prince hugged his music box.
Albin Moises, the Inventor, whispered, “We fixed it.”
And the little star kept shining, all the way to bedtime.