Sir Reginald was a very proud knight. He had the shiniest armor in the whole kingdom! Every morning, he polished it until it sparkled like a thousand stars. He loved showing off his armor to everyone he met. “Look how bright!” he’d say, puffing out his chest.
One evening, as Sir Reginald was admiring his reflection in a pond, he heard tiny cries. He looked around and saw a group of fireflies, blinking sadly. “What’s wrong?” asked Sir Reginald.
“We’ve lost our glow!” cried a little firefly named Flicker. “The wind blew out our sparkles, and now we can’t light up the forest for the sleepy animals.”
Sir Reginald frowned. He wanted to keep his armor shiny, but the fireflies needed help. He thought for a moment. Then, he had an idea! He carefully took off his helmet and used it as a bowl to collect dew drops from the leaves. He then gently offered the dew to each firefly.
As the fireflies drank the dew, their little lights began to flicker… and then to glow! They blinked brighter and brighter, filling the forest with a warm, gentle light. “Thank you, Sir Reginald!” they chirped happily.
Sir Reginald smiled. His helmet was covered in dew and a little bit muddy, and his armor wasn’t quite as shiny anymore. But he didn’t mind at all. He felt warmer inside than his shiniest armor could ever make him feel.
“It’s much more important to help others than to have shiny things,” he said to himself. He spent the rest of the evening watching the fireflies dance, feeling proud and happy. He learned that being a true knight wasn’t about how you looked, but about how kind you were.
From that day on, Sir Reginald still polished his armor, but he always made time to help anyone who needed it. And even though his armor wasn’t *always* the shiniest, it always shone with kindness. Now close your eyes, little one, and let the fireflies guide you to sweet dreams.