The Sleepy Bear's Magic Friend

Lily found the glowing device under the old oak tree. It looked like her dad's iphone, but it sparkled like morning dew on spiderwebs. When she touched the screen, it didn't show apps or games—it showed secret things.

"Hello?" she whispered.

The device flashed a message: *I see what others miss.*

That evening, Lily heard her older brother talking. "There's a zombie in the woods! I saw it walking all slow and weird near the cave."

Lily's heart fluttered. Zombies were scary! But she remembered her magical device. She crept to the edge of the forest and looked through its screen.

What she saw made her gasp.

The "zombie" wasn't scary at all. It was a beautiful brown bear, but it moved like it was dreaming. Its fur shimmered with faint moonlight, and its eyes looked sleepy, not scary.

* enchanted sleep,* the device explained.

Lily wasn't afraid anymore. The bear looked lonely. She marched into the woods, her magic device lighting her path.

"Mr. Bear?" she called softly. "Are you okay?"

The bear turned slowly. "I've been sleeping for a hundred years," it rumbled, voice like honey and thunder. "A wizard put a spell on me because I was too grumpy."

"You don't look grumpy now," Lily said bravely. "You look like you need a friend."

The bear's eyes widened. "A friend?"

Lily nodded. "My name's Lily. Will you be my friend?"

Something magical happened. The bear's fur began to glow, and he stood taller. The sleepy spell melted away like ice in sunshine.

"Friendship," the bear whispered, "is stronger than any spell."

He wrapped Lily in the gentlest hug. "I'm Barnaby, and I've been waiting a hundred years for someone like you."

Lily's iphone-like device flashed one last message: *Some things look scary until you see them with your heart.*

From that day on, Lily and Barnaby had wonderful adventures. And sometimes, when other kids talked about scary things, Lily would smile, knowing that the bravest thing you can do is see with your heart, not your eyes.