Sparkle was a little dragon, and he *loved* shiny things. He had a cave filled with sparkling stones, glittering pebbles, and shimmering shells. He’d found them all himself, and he thought they were the most beautiful things in the whole wide world. He spent his days arranging them, polishing them, and admiring their sparkle.
One sunny afternoon, a little bunny named Pip hopped by Sparkle’s cave. Pip wasn’t looking for shiny things; he was looking for a friend. He peeked inside and saw Sparkle surrounded by his treasures. “Wow!” Pip exclaimed. “Those are beautiful!”
Sparkle hugged a particularly sparkly stone close. “They are mine,” he said, a little bit grumpy. He didn’t usually like anyone near his collection. He worried they might break something or, even worse, *want* to look at them too closely.
Pip’s ears drooped. “Oh,” he said quietly. “I just thought… maybe we could play together?” Sparkle hadn’t thought about playing. He was too busy with his shiny things. But Pip looked so sad.
“What do you like to play?” Sparkle asked cautiously. “I like to build things with sticks and leaves!” Pip chirped. Sparkle had never built anything with sticks and leaves. He only built towers of shiny stones.
Pip showed Sparkle how to weave sticks together to make a little house. It wasn’t shiny, but it was fun! Sparkle found himself laughing as they pretended the house was a castle. He realized playing was much more fun than just looking at shiny things.
When it was time for Pip to go home, Sparkle had an idea. He carefully picked out three of his prettiest, smoothest stones. “Here,” he said, offering them to Pip. “You can have these.”
Pip’s eyes widened. “Really?” Sparkle nodded. “They’re shiny, and I want to share them with my friend.” Pip carefully took the stones. “Thank you, Sparkle! These are the best gifts ever!”
Sparkle felt a warm glow inside, even brighter than his shiniest stone. He realized that sharing his treasures didn’t make them less special; it made them even *more* special because they made his friend happy. From that day on, Sparkle and Pip played together every day, and Sparkle learned that the best treasures aren’t things you keep to yourself, but the joy you share with friends.