The Fox Who Wasn't Spying

Lily's goldfish, Glub, swam in circles around his castle. He did this every morning while Lily ate her breakfast toast.

"Glub," he bubbled, watching her through the glass.

"Good morning, Glub!" Lily tapped the bowl. Today was special. She had her lucky red baseball in her backpack, and it was the day of the big game!

As Lily walked to school, something rustled in the bushes. A bushy orange tail flashed.

"A fox!" Lily gasped.

The fox appeared again behind the next tree. And again at the corner. It was following her!

"That fox is spying on me," Lily whispered to herself. She clutched her backpack tighter. What did a fox want with a girl and her baseball?

At recess, Lily and her friends played baseball. She hit the ball so hard it sailed over the fence and disappeared into the woods.

"Oh no! My lucky baseball!" Lily cried. The game couldn't continue without it.

When school ended, Lily walked home slowly, head down. Something crinkled in the fallen leaves beside her.

There, sitting on a mossy rock, was the fox.

And next to the fox... was her red baseball!

The fox nudged the ball toward Lily with its nose. Then it sat, watching her with bright amber eyes.

"You weren't spying on me," Lily realized. "You were trying to give me back my ball!"

The fox dipped its head, as if nodding.

"Thank you," Lily said softly. She picked up the baseball and reached into her pocket. "I have something for you too."

She pulled out a small bag of pretzels from her lunch and left them on the rock.

From that day on, the fox wasn't a spy anymore. He was Lily's friend. Sometimes she'd see him watching from the bushes, and she'd wave. He'd dip his head in return.

And Glub? He swam extra fast whenever Lily told him about her adventures.

"Not everything scary is bad," Lily told him. "Sometimes you just have to wait and see."