Sophie and the Stone Sphinx

Sophie loved visiting her grandmother's garden, where an ancient stone sphinx had sat for a hundred years. The sphinx had the body of a lion and the face of a wise woman, and Sophie always waved hello on her way to pick strawberries.

One rainy afternoon, Sophie sat under the garden shed's roof, feeling grumpy. She'd forgotten her favorite toy at home.

"Little one," a rumbly voice said.

Sophie jumped! The stone sphinx's eyes were glowing golden.

"You forgot something important," the sphinx said. "Not your toy, but your courage vitamin."

"Vitamins are for staying healthy," Sophie said, puzzled.

"Ah, but there are many kinds," the sphinx winked. "The vitamin of wonder, the vitamin of bravery, the vitamin of kindness. You take them every time you use your imagination."

From behind her ear, Sophie pulled her old iphone—no longer connected to anything, but still full of her drawings and stories. She'd been drawing pictures of magical creatures.

"Show me what you create," said the sphinx.

Sophie opened her drawing app. As she touched the screen, something magical happened. Her drawings began to glow and swirl!

"Your imagination is the real magic," the sphinx explained. "That device is just your paintbrush. The vitamin of wonder makes everything possible."

Sophie drew herself flying on the sphinx's back. Golden sparkles floated from the screen, and suddenly she WAS flying—right there in the garden! They soared over the strawberry patch, past the apple trees, and danced with butterflies made of stardust.

"Remember," the sphinx whispered as they landed, "the best adventures don't require fancy toys. They only require your heart's true vitamins: wonder, courage, and friendship."

That night, Sophie didn't miss her forgotten toy at all. She'd discovered something much better: the magic that had been inside her all along, just waiting for her to take her daily dose of wonder.

And every time she visited grandmother's garden, the sphinx would wink, and Sophie would wink back—two friends sharing the world's most wonderful secret.