Sparkle was a small dragon, but he had a very big collection. Not of gold, like some dragons, but of shiny things! He collected smooth river stones, colorful feathers, lost buttons, and especially, sparkly glass beads. His cave wasn't filled with treasure, it was filled with *glitter*! Sparkle loved looking at his collection, arranging it, and polishing each item until it gleamed.
But Sparkle didn’t like anyone *touching* his shiny things. If his friend, Pip the little bird, came to visit, Sparkle would quickly cover everything with a large leaf. If Barnaby the bear wandered by, Sparkle would pretend he wasn’t home. “They just won’t understand,” he’d grumble. “They don’t appreciate sparkle like *I* do!”
One day, a little cloud drifted over the valley, and it started to rain. Pip and Barnaby came running to Sparkle’s cave, shivering and wet. “Can we wait out the rain with you, Sparkle?” Pip chirped. Sparkle hesitated. He didn’t want them near his shiny things! But they looked so cold and sad.
“Oh… alright,” Sparkle mumbled, reluctantly moving aside. Pip and Barnaby huddled near the back of the cave, careful not to disturb anything. But then, Barnaby accidentally bumped into a pile of river stones, sending them tumbling. Sparkle gasped!
Instead of getting angry, Barnaby quickly helped Sparkle gather the stones. “Oh dear, I’m so sorry!” he said. Pip, meanwhile, noticed a dull patch on one of Sparkle’s favorite glass beads. She carefully rubbed it with a soft feather she’d found, making it sparkle again. “There!” she chirped. “Good as new!”
Sparkle was surprised. They weren’t clumsy or careless; they were *helpful*! And they appreciated his shiny things, not to keep them, but to help make them even better. He realized he’d been so busy protecting his collection, he hadn’t had any fun with it.
“Actually,” Sparkle said, a smile spreading across his face, “I have plenty of beads. Would you like to make necklaces with me?” Pip and Barnaby’s faces lit up. Soon, the cave was filled with laughter as they strung beads onto vines, creating beautiful, sparkly necklaces for each other.
Sparkle discovered that sharing his shiny things didn’t make them less special; it made them *more* special. Having friends to enjoy them with was the shiniest treasure of all. From that day on, Sparkle’s cave was always open, and his shiny things always sparkled a little brighter, surrounded by the joy of friendship.