"Boo!" Lily barked, hiding behind a curtain. Scarlett giggled. Even though Lily was a big dog, she was really silly! "Where'd you go?" Scarlett peeked behind the curtain. "Found you!"
Today was cleaning day. Mommy said even little helpers could clean! Scarlett loved to help. She put her toys back in the toy bin. Suddenly, a sparkly blue ball rolled out from under the couch! It looked familiar...
"Woof?" Lily tilted her head, dropping her bone.
"It's my lost bouncy ball! I haven't seen this in forever!" Scarlett exclaimed. The ball shimmered and rolled towards the window. When it touched the glass, the window disappeared! In its place was a swirling purple portal. On the other side, Scarlett saw a beautiful forest with giant, talking trees!
"Wowzers!" Scarlett whispered.
Lily wagged her tail excitedly.
"Should we go see?" Scarlett asked Lily. Lily barked and nudged Scarlett towards the portal. Holding Lily's fur tight, Scarlett took a deep breath and stepped into the swirling purple.
The world spun, and then they landed on soft green grass. Giant trees towered overhead, their leaves rustling like whispers. Colorful flowers bloomed everywhere!
"This is the Enchanted Forest," a deep voice boomed.
Scarlett gasped and looked up. A giant oak tree smiled down at them. Its eyes were made of twinkling acorns!
"Don't be scared, little one," the tree chuckled. "I'm Old Majesty. What brings you to my forest?"
Scarlett, still amazed by the talking tree, held up her sparkly blue ball. "My ball brought me here! I think it's lost."
Old Majesty's branches trembled with laughter. "Lost, you say? Many things find their way here, but it's the cleaning that sends them back."
Cleaning? Scarlett thought of her toys neatly put away. "What needs cleaning?"
"Look around," Old Majesty whispered.
Scarlett saw toys scattered everywhere: teddy bears, toy trucks, even a rocking horse missing a wheel!
"These toys are lost!" Scarlett exclaimed. She knew just what to do. She picked up a teddy bear and dusted it off. Lily grabbed a doll in her mouth and gently placed it next to Scarlett.
"You understand!" Old Majesty boomed happily. "To find their way home, lost things need a little care."
Scarlett and Lily spent the afternoon gathering lost toys. They put them in a pile, making sure each one was clean and loved. As they worked, friendly squirrels and giggling fairies peeked out from behind trees, helping them gather.
Finally, the last toy, a little red wagon, was dusted and placed on the pile. The sparkly blue ball glowed brightly, and the portal reappeared!
"Thank you," Old Majesty rumbled, his voice filled with warmth. "You've done a wonderful thing today, little ones."
Scarlett hugged Old Majesty's rough bark goodbye and held onto Lily as they stepped back into the swirling purple. They landed back in Scarlett's room, the window back in place.
Scarlett picked up her bouncy ball. It didn't glow anymore, but it felt warm in her hands. She knew it was happy to be home, just like all the other toys in the Enchanted Forest.
"Cleaning can be quite an adventure," Scarlett whispered to Lily, giving her a big hug.
Lily barked happily, licking Scarlett's face. Even though cleaning could be magical, it was always nice to be home.
