Zuri the Princess was a little girl with bright boots and a tiny silver crown. She lived beside the Spirit Garden.
The Spirit Garden was full of soft grass, round stones, and sleepy blue butterflies. In the morning, the flowers said, “Good day!” In the evening, the fireflies said, “Blink, blink!”
Zuri loved every small thing there. She gave water to thirsty plants. She waved to busy bees. She never picked a flower without asking.
Her best friend was Flower, a big yellow flower with a green, curly stem. Flower was cheerful. Flower liked jokes.
“Why did the seed go to bed?” Flower asked.
Zuri giggled. “Why?”
“Because it was very, very sleepy!”
One cloudy morning, Zuri ran into the garden. “Good morning, Flower!” she called.
But Flower did not say, “Good morning.”
Flower’s yellow petals were closed. Her leaves hung down. Even her curly stem looked sad.
“Oh, Flower,” whispered Zuri. “Are you sick?”
Flower gave a tiny sniff. “I cannot bloom. The warm Sun Drop is gone.”
“The Sun Drop?” asked Zuri.
“It is a little golden drop that rests in the fountain at night,” said Flower. “It helps the garden wake up bright and happy. Without it, I feel cold and droopy.”
Zuri put one gentle hand on Flower’s leaf. “I will find it.”
“You are small,” Flower said.
“I am small,” said Zuri. “But I can be brave.”
She put a little basket on her arm. In it she packed a red scarf, a round biscuit, and her shining crown. Then she followed a trail of gold sparkles past the singing stream.
“Drip, drop, which way?” Zuri asked.
The stream burbled, “Under the tall fern. Tiptoe, tiptoe!”
Zuri tiptoed under the tall fern. There she saw big, muddy footprints.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
A Monster sat behind a mossy rock.
He was huge and fuzzy. He had purple ears, a blue nose, and feet as big as pillows. In his hands was the golden Sun Drop.
Zuri’s knees felt wobbly. She wanted to run home.
Then she remembered Flower’s closed petals.
So Zuri took one slow breath. “Hello, Monster,” she said.
The Monster looked up. His eyes were wet.
“Hello,” he rumbled.
“Did you take the Sun Drop?” asked Zuri.
The Monster nodded. “Yes. I am sorry.”
“Why?” Zuri asked.
“At night, my cave is dark,” said the Monster. “I heard the Sun Drop glows. I only wanted a little light. But now I do not know how to give it back.”
Zuri looked at the golden drop. It glimmered like a tiny sun. She looked at the Monster’s dark little cave. She felt sorry for him.
“You need light,” said Zuri. “Flower needs the Sun Drop. We can help both.”
The Monster blinked. “Both?”
“Both,” said Zuri.
Zuri opened her basket. She tied her red scarf between two branches. Then she held up her silver crown. The crown caught the morning light.
“Monster,” she said, “can you place the Sun Drop here, just for one moment?”
Very carefully, the Monster set the Sun Drop beside the crown.
Oh! The crown flashed. The scarf shimmered. Golden light danced into the cave like a happy ribbon.
The Monster clapped his giant hands. “My cave is bright!”
Zuri smiled. “Now we will make a lamp for you.”
She found a clear jar near the stream. The Monster found three glowing fireflies, but he did not grab them. He asked, “May I have your light, little friends?”
“Blink, blink,” said the fireflies. “Yes, if you open the jar in the morning.”
Zuri placed the jar safely in the cave. It made a small, cozy glow.
The Monster smiled a big, shy smile. “Thank you, Princess Zuri.”
Then he gave her the Sun Drop. “Please help your friend bloom.”
Zuri hurried back through the Spirit Garden. “I found it!” she called.
She placed the Sun Drop in the fountain.
Plink!
Golden ripples went round and round. The grass lifted. The butterflies opened their wings. The sleepy flowers stretched up tall.
And Flower’s petals opened wide.
“Good morning!” Flower sang. “I feel sunny again!”
Flower shook her petals. Pop! A little golden seed box fell into Zuri’s basket.
“For you,” said Flower. “It is a Sunseed Treasure. Plant it anywhere, and it will grow one tiny light for someone who feels afraid of the dark.”
Zuri held the treasure close. “I know just the place,” she said.
That evening, she planted the Sunseed near the Monster’s cave. It grew into a small golden lantern-flower.
The Monster waved from his bright doorway. Flower waved from the garden. Zuri waved to both.
Then Princess Zuri went home in her bright boots, with her silver crown and a happy heart. She had found the Sun Drop, helped her friend, and made a new friend too.
In the Spirit Garden, the flowers whispered, “Small can be brave.”
And the fireflies answered, “Blink, blink!”