Lily's Lightning Hair

Lily hated her hair. It puffed out like a brown cloud, messy and wild. Every morning, her mother tried to tame it with ribbons and brushes. But Lily's hair had a mind of its own.

One Tuesday, Lily sat at dinner staring at her spinach.

"Eat your greens," said Mama. "They'll make you strong."

Lily poked at a leaf. Then something amazing happened. The spinach leaf shimmered and sparkled like it was filled with tiny stars.

"Wow!" Lily whispered.

Suddenly, her kitchen faded away. Lily found herself in a golden desert, standing before a giant pyramid made of sparkling sandstone.

"Hello, little one," rumbled a voice.

Lily looked up. A great sphinx sat beside the pyramid. It had the body of a lion and the face of a wise woman with kind eyes.

"I'm so lonely," said the sphinx sadly. "Everyone runs away when they see me."

Lily stepped closer. "I won't run away."

The sphinx smiled. "You have beautiful hair. It looks like lightning bolts dancing in the sky."

Lily gasped. She had always thought her hair was messy. But the sphinx thought it was beautiful?

"Lightning is powerful and wild," the sphinx explained. "Just like you. Your hair isn't messy—it's magical."

Lily touched her puffy curls. For the first time, she smiled at her reflection in the sphinx's golden eyes.

"Will you visit me again?" asked the sphinx.

"Every Tuesday," promised Lily.

The sphinx touched Lily's forehead with a paw. *ZAP!* Lightning flashed through her body, warm and tingling.

Lily blinked. She was back at her dinner table. Her spinach was gone, but her hair still puffed around her face like a cloudy halo.

"What are you smiling about?" asked Mama.

"My hair," said Lily. "It's not messy. It's like lightning."

And from that day on, Lily never wanted to tame her wild, wonderful hair again.