Lila was a very little fairy, even for a fairy! Her wings were the color of lavender, and she lived in a cozy mushroom house at the edge of Whispering Woods. Lila loved her life, but sometimes she wished she was better at fairy things. She wasn’t the fastest flier, and her sparkle-dust wasn’t the shiniest. But Lila was very, very kind.
One evening, as the moon began to rise, Lila heard a tiny sob. She zipped (as fast as she could!) towards the sound and found Flicker, a little firefly, sitting on a dandelion. Flicker’s light wasn’t glowing! It was just…dim. “What’s wrong?” Lila asked gently.
Flicker sniffled. “I…I can’t make my light shine! All the other fireflies are twinkling and dancing, and I just feel…dark.” He hung his head, and a single tear rolled down his tiny cheek. Lila felt very sorry for Flicker. She knew what it felt like to feel like you weren’t good enough.
“Don’t worry, Flicker,” Lila said. “We’ll figure it out.” She tried sprinkling him with her sparkle-dust, but it didn’t help. She tried telling him a funny joke, but Flicker didn’t even smile. Lila thought and thought. Then, she remembered what her grandmother always said: ‘Sometimes, the brightest light comes from believing in yourself.’
“Flicker,” Lila said softly, “Close your eyes. Think about all the things you *can* do. You can fly! You can light up the night! You can make others happy with your glow.” Flicker closed his eyes, and Lila waited patiently. It felt like a very long time.
Slowly, a tiny spark appeared inside Flicker. Then another, and another! His light began to grow, flickering at first, then shining brighter and brighter. Soon, Flicker was glowing as brilliantly as any firefly in Whispering Woods!
Flicker opened his eyes and zoomed around Lila, leaving trails of sparkling light. “I did it!” he cried. “I really did it! Thank you, Lila!” Lila smiled. She didn’t need to be the fastest or the shiniest fairy. She had helped a friend, and that made her feel brighter than any sparkle-dust could ever make her.
From that day on, Lila and Flicker were the best of friends. They learned that even the smallest creatures can shine brightly, and that a little kindness can make all the difference. And as Lila drifted off to sleep in her mushroom house, she knew that being kind was the most magical fairy thing of all.