Leo loved rocks. Not just any rocks, but *shiny* rocks! He had a whole box full of them – sparkly red ones, smooth blue ones, and even one that looked like a tiny rainbow. He spent hours arranging them, counting them, and admiring their gleam. “These are *my* rocks,” he’d tell his stuffed lion, Roary. “All mine!”
One sunny afternoon, Leo was building a magnificent rock castle in his backyard. His friend Maya came over to play. “Wow, Leo! Those are beautiful rocks!” she exclaimed, her eyes wide with wonder. Leo clutched his box a little tighter. He *wanted* Maya to see, but he didn’t want her to touch. What if she dropped one? Or wanted to borrow one forever?
“Um, they’re…special rocks,” Leo mumbled, carefully positioning a purple rock on the castle wall. “I’m building a castle, and I need them all for it.” Maya’s face fell a little. She sat down on the grass, looking a bit sad. Leo noticed, and a funny feeling tugged at his heart. It didn’t feel very good to see Maya unhappy.
Roary, even though he was a stuffed lion, seemed to be looking at Leo with a knowing expression. Leo thought about how much fun he had playing with Maya when they *both* built things together. He remembered how Maya had shared her crayons with him last week when he wanted to draw a rainbow.
Taking a deep breath, Leo slowly opened his box. “Okay, Maya,” he said, “You can look. And…you can even help me build!” Maya’s face lit up. “Really?” she asked. Leo nodded. He carefully picked out a few of his favorite shiny rocks and handed them to Maya.
Together, they built the most amazing rock castle ever! Maya added a sparkling tower, and Leo created a winding path. They laughed and chatted, carefully placing each rock. Leo realized something wonderful: building with a friend was *much* more fun than building alone. And his rocks didn’t seem any less special just because Maya was enjoying them too.
When it was time for Maya to go home, she thanked Leo for letting her play with his rocks. “It was the best castle ever!” she said. Leo smiled. He felt warm and happy inside. He learned that day that sharing his treasures didn’t make them less valuable; it made playtime more fun and his friendship with Maya even stronger. He even let Maya pick one small, sparkly rock to take home with her. “For being a good friend,” he said.
That night, as Leo tucked Roary into bed beside him, he said, “Sharing *is* caring, Roary. And shiny rocks are even shinier when you share them with a friend.”