The Goldfish Who Touched Lightning

Lily's little goldfish, Glub, was no ordinary fish. He lived in a glass bowl on her nightstand, but he had the most peculiar dreams—especially when the summer storms rolled through their town.

One rainy afternoon, Lily was playing on her iPhone when something strange happened. A bolt of lightning flashed outside her window, and at that exact moment, Glub began to glow! His golden scales shimmered like tiny stars, and suddenly, he floated right out of his bowl!

"Glub!" Lily gasped, dropping her iPhone on her bed. The little fish swam through the air as if it were water, leaving a trail of sparkles behind him. He darted toward the old TV in the corner of her room, where a thick black cable lay coiled on the floor.

Glub wrapped himself around the cable like a glittery snake, and ZAP! The room filled with golden light. When Lily could see again, she gasped. Her bedroom floor had transformed into a magnificent pyramid made of shimmering crystal blocks, each one glowing with soft blue light.

"Come, Lily!" Glub's voice chimed like tiny bells. "The lightning gave me magic powers for one hour! We must climb the pyramid and make three wishes!"

Lily's eyes widened. This was the adventure she'd always dreamed of! She grabbed Glub's fin (which felt warm and tingly like sunshine) and together they climbed the crystal pyramid. At the top, they found three golden buttons.

"What do you wish?" Glub asked.

Lily thought carefully. "I wish that every child could have a magical friend like you, Glub. I wish that storm clouds would always bring wonder instead of fear. And I wish..." she paused, hugging her fish friend tight, "that you could stay with me forever, not just for one hour."

The pyramid sparkled brighter than ever. suddenly, a warm glow surrounded Glub, and he smiled—yes, smiled!—at her.

"The last wish is already true, Lily. Friendship like ours is its own magic."

From that day on, whenever lightning flashed across the sky, Lily and Glub would smile at each other, knowing that the most wonderful magic wasn't in wishes or pyramids or iPhone games. The best magic was having a friend who would climb crystal mountains with you, no matter what.