The Girl With Fire Hair

Maya always hid her bright orange hair under a giant hat. The other kids had brown hair or black hair or yellow hair, but nobody had hair the color of a sunset.

"You look like a rainbow exploded on you," mean boy Troy had said yesterday.

That's why Maya loved spending time with Barnaby, her fluffy golden dog. Barnaby never made fun of her hair. He just licked her face and wagged his tail so hard his whole body wiggled like jelly.

One sunny afternoon, Barnaby started digging frantically in the garden. "Barnaby! Stop!" Maya laughed, pulling him away.

Under the dirt, something sparkled.

Maya gasped. It was a tiny pyramid, no bigger than her palm, made of crystal that shimmered like captured sunshine. Strange symbols covered its sides.

Barnaby barked excitedly, pawing at the pyramid.

As Maya's fingers touched it, the pyramid flamed with brilliant orange light - the exact color of her hair!

"Wow," she breathed.

Suddenly, a voice echoed from inside. "We have waited centuries for someone with hair of fire."

Maya looked around. "Who said that?"

"The Pyramid of Truth," the voice replied. "Long ago, we hid our magic. Only someone with fire hair could awaken it. Your hair holds the power of courage, creativity and joy."

The pyramid floated higher, spinning gently. Orange light poured out, forming pictures - children with different colored hair laughing together, flying, creating amazing things.

"Your orange hair isn't strange," the voice whispered. "It's magical. It means you're destined to do extraordinary things."

Tears filled Maya's eyes. All this time, she'd thought her hair was weird. But it was actually special?

"Thank you," she whispered.

The pyramid's light faded, and it became an ordinary crystal. But Maya knew nothing would ever be ordinary again.

That night, she looked in the mirror and really saw her hair for the first time. It wasn't weird. It was wonderful.

And maybe, just maybe, she really was destined for something extraordinary.

Barnaby wagged his tail as if to say: "See? I always knew you were special."

Maya smiled, her orange hair shining like a sunset, and for the first time in her life, she didn't want to hide it at all.