The air felt spooky and cool, like a dragon's breath on Halloween night! Jackson, with his super cool robot arms, held tight to his pet rock, Jacob. "Don't worry, Jacob," he whispered. "We're just going to school!"
School was a big place, full of bright colors and the sounds of kids playing. Jackson loved to play. Playing made him feel like he could do anything! He could be a brave knight, a soaring dragon, or even a robot superhero from his secret planet!
As they walked down the hallway, they heard a strange noise. It was a soft, whistly sound, like someone was singing a secret song.
"Did you hear that, Jacob?" Jackson whispered.
Jacob, being a rock, didn't answer. But Jackson knew he felt the spooky feeling too!
They followed the sound to the old, dusty library. The windows rattled in the wind, making the same spooky, whistly sound. Jackson bravely peeked inside.
Suddenly, a little bird flew out from behind a bookshelf, chirping loudly! Jackson jumped back in surprise. The little bird landed on a table, cocking its head and looking at Jackson with bright, curious eyes.
"Wow, you're a brave little bird!" Jackson said. "What are you doing here all alone?"
Just then, Jackson noticed something strange. The little bird was tapping its tiny beak against one of the old books. It seemed like it was trying to tell him something!
"Do you want me to open this book?" Jackson asked.
The little bird chirped and flapped its wings excitedly.
Carefully, Jackson opened the book. Inside, he found beautiful pictures of birds flying through the sky, singing and playing games with each other. He showed the pictures to Jacob, who seemed to find them very interesting (for a rock, that is!).
The little bird chirped happily, then flew up and landed on Jackson's shoulder.
"Do you want to play with me?" Jackson asked.
The bird chirped again and nuzzled Jackson's cheek with its tiny head. Jackson knew this meant yes!
They spent the rest of the day playing hide and seek amongst the bookshelves. Jackson would hide behind tall stacks of books, while the little bird would fly around, singing its beautiful song until it found him.
When it was time to go home, Jackson felt a little sad to say goodbye to his new friend. But the little bird chirped cheerfully and flew up to sit on the highest bookshelf. It seemed to be telling him that they would play again soon.
As Jackson walked home with Jacob, he realized something important. Playing wasn't just fun, it was a way to make new friends, even with a spooky little bird in a spooky old library. And Jackson knew that no matter where he went, whether it was school, his secret robot planet, or even just his own backyard, there was always adventure and friendship to be found, just waiting for a brave and curious boy like him to discover it!
