Corvus was a little crow with a very big hobby: collecting shiny things! He loved buttons, bottle caps, sparkly pebbles, and anything that glittered. He kept them all in a cozy nest lined with soft moss. Corvus thought his shiny collection was the best in the whole wide world, and he didn’t like anyone to touch it.
One sunny afternoon, Rosie the robin and Barnaby the bluebird came to visit. “Wow, Corvus!” chirped Rosie. “What a wonderful collection of shiny things!” Barnaby nodded. “They’re so sparkly!” Corvus puffed out his chest, but he held his wings tightly around his treasures. “They’re *mine*,” he said.
Rosie and Barnaby looked a little sad. They had been collecting berries to make a friendship pie, but they didn’t have anything sparkly to decorate the top. “We wanted to make it extra special,” Rosie explained. Corvus watched them, and a funny feeling fluttered in his tummy. It didn’t feel very good to see his friends disappointed.
He looked at his pile of shiny things. He had *so* many! He picked out a bright, silver bottle cap and a shimmering blue pebble. “Here,” he said, offering them to Rosie and Barnaby. “You can use these for your pie!”
Rosie and Barnaby’s faces lit up! “Oh, Corvus, thank you!” chirped Rosie. Barnaby carefully placed the shiny treasures on top of the berry pie. It looked beautiful! They all shared the pie, and it tasted even sweeter knowing they had made it together.
Corvus realized something wonderful. Sharing his shiny things hadn’t made his collection any less special. In fact, it had made everything *more* special! He felt warm and happy inside. He learned that having friends and sharing with them was much more fun than keeping everything to himself.
From that day on, Corvus still collected shiny things, but he always remembered to share with his friends. He knew that a little bit of sparkle could brighten everyone’s day, and that true treasure wasn’t about *having* things, but about *sharing* them with those you love. Now close your eyes, little one, and dream of sparkly things and happy friends.