The Goldfish Who Dreamed of Pyramids

Lily had a secret. Her pet goldfish, Finley, could do magic.

One Tuesday, while Lily was cleaning Finny's bowl, the little orange fish swam to the surface and blew a bubble that didn't pop. Instead, it grew larger and larger until Lily could step inside.

"Hold on tight!" Finley seemed to say, swimming beside her as the bubble lifted them both out the window.

They floated over rooftops and trees until Lily saw something amazing in her neighbor's backyard. A giant pyramid made entirely of stacked books! It shimmered with golden light, and at the very top sat a grumpy old zombie.

The zombie wasn't scary at all. He wore a tuxedo and held a sign: LIBRARY CLOSED — BAD MOOD TODAY.

"That's Mr. Grumbles," Finley whispered. "He was once the world's happiest librarian, but he lost his favorite bookmark and turned into a zombie of grumpiness."

"I can help!" Lily cried.

The bubble landed gently beside the book pyramid. Lily began to climb, with Finny swimming through the air beside her in his magical bubble. Halfway up, they encountered a magnificent bull with golden horns.

"I'm Ferdinand," the bull said kindly. "I guard this pyramid. But I'm afraid of heights, so I can never reach the top to help poor Mr. Grumbles."

"I'm not afraid!" Lily said bravely.

She climbed higher and higher until she reached the summit. There she found the bookmark — a beautiful feather pressed between two pages of an open book.

"Mr. Grumbles!" Lily called, holding it up. "I found your bookmark!"

The zombie's gray face turned pink. His dull eyes sparkled. He reached out with bony fingers and took the bookmark, and in an instant, he transformed back into a jolly old man with a white beard.

"Thank you, dear child!" Mr. Grumbles beamed. "For your kindness and courage, you may each make one wish."

Ferdinand the bull wished for wings to fly (which Mr. Grumbles happily granted). Finley wished for a friend to go on adventures with (Lily gave him a little fish-bowl hug). And Lily? She wished that every book in the world could come alive for anyone who needed a friend.

"Granted!" Mr. Grumbles said with a wink.

That night, Lily fell asleep reading, and she dreamed of golden fish who could fly, bulls with silver wings, and a magical book pyramid where zombies learned to smile again.

Somewhere, in a bubble full of starlight, Finley swam and dreamed of pyramids too.