Lila was a very small fairy, even for a fairy. Her wings weren't the brightest, and her magic wasn't the strongest. She often worried she wasn't good enough. She lived in the shimmering meadow of Everglen, but tonight, Everglen felt…dull. Lila looked around. Everything was gray! The flowers, the trees, even the fireflies had lost their glow.
Old Man Tiber, the wisest gnome in Everglen, explained, “Dreamland is fading, little Lila. Dreamland provides the color for all our happy thoughts. Someone must have forgotten how to dream in color!” He sighed. “It needs a spark of kindness, a touch of bravery, and a whole lot of belief to bring the colors back.”
Lila’s heart sank. Bravery wasn’t exactly her specialty. But she knew she had to try. “I’ll go to Dreamland!” she declared, though her voice trembled a little. Old Man Tiber gave her a tiny, glowing seed. “This is a Seed of Hope. Plant it in the grayest part of Dreamland, and believe with all your heart.”
Dreamland was even grayer than Everglen. Everything looked sad and forgotten. Lila flew past drooping dream-trees and silent dream-streams. She finally found the very center, a swirling gray mist where all the color seemed to have vanished. It was a little scary, but Lila remembered Old Man Tiber’s words.
She carefully planted the Seed of Hope. But nothing happened. Lila waited and waited. She tried to use her magic to make it grow, but her spells were weak and flickered out like dying embers. Disappointment washed over her. Maybe she *wasn’t* good enough.
Then, she remembered something her mother always said: “Kindness is the strongest magic of all.” Lila looked around and saw a tiny, gray dream-sprite huddled under a wilted dream-flower. The sprite looked utterly miserable.
“Hello,” Lila said softly. “Are you alright?” The sprite shook its head. “I…I can’t remember how to dream happy dreams anymore,” it whispered. Lila sat beside the sprite and began to tell it stories – stories of Everglen, of sparkling dew drops, and of the joy of flying. She told the sprite about her worries, and how even though she was small, she wanted to help.
As Lila spoke, a tiny spark of color flickered in the sprite’s eyes. Then another, and another! The sprite began to giggle, and as it did, a small patch of blue bloomed on the dream-flower. Lila realized that her kindness was the magic Dreamland needed!
Lila continued to tell stories, and with each happy thought from the sprite, more and more color returned to Dreamland. The gray mist swirled and transformed into vibrant rainbows. The dream-trees burst into bloom, and the dream-streams sparkled with silver and gold. The Seed of Hope sprouted into a magnificent, glowing flower.
Soon, Dreamland was more colorful than ever before. Lila, beaming with pride, flew back to Everglen. Old Man Tiber smiled. “You see, little Lila,” he said, “you didn’t need strong magic. You just needed a kind heart and the courage to believe in yourself.” Lila finally understood. She was small, but her kindness made a big difference. And that, she knew, was magic enough.