The Sphinx Who Loved Rain Puddles

Lily loved building things in her sandbox. Every Saturday, she'd create castles, towers, and her favorite—a perfect pyramid of sand, patting it smooth with her small hands. She always left it there when her mother called her for dinner.

That night, a full moon shone through Lily's window. Something sparkled in the backyard. Curious, she tiptoed outside in her pajamas.

The sand pyramid was glowing! And something was moving on top of it.

A tiny creature shook itself like a wet puppy—a miniature sphinx, no bigger than Lily's hand! It had the body of a lion, wings of a hummingbird, and a face that looked friendly and wise.

"Hello!" squeaked the sphinx. "I'm Serafina. Thank you for building my home!"

Lily gasped. "You're a sphinx! From Egypt!"

Serafina laughed, a sound like tiny bells. "I'm a sand sphinx. We live wherever children build pyramids for us. But oh, I'm so thirsty!"

Suddenly, raindrops began to fall. Big, wonderful splashes.

Serafina's eyes widened with delight. "Swimming! My favorite!" She spread her wings and dove into a forming puddle, swimming in circles like a joyful fish. "Water makes magic stronger!"

Lily laughed and danced in the rain with her new friend, splashing and swimming alongside the tiny sphinx.

"Why do you love swimming so much?" Lily asked. "Aren't sphinxes supposed to be guardians of secrets and riddles?"

Serafina floated on her back. "I am! And my riddle is this: What's the most powerful magic in the world?"

Lily thought hard. "Love?"

"Close!" Serafina beamed. "It's imagination! Like yours, building this pyramid. Because you believed in magic, I appeared. Because you're curious, we're friends. Imagination makes everything real!"

The rain stopped, and the first rays of sunlight appeared. Serafina grew smaller.

"I'll be back whenever you build a pyramid," she promised. "Remember—imagination is the strongest magic there is!"

As the sphinx faded into sparkles, Lily hugged herself with joy. She couldn't wait for next Saturday—and she'd never stop believing in magic, or in swimming with sphinxes, or in the wonderful power of her own imagination.