"A talking squirrel told me it's opposite day on the Moon!" Olivia announced, bursting into the living room.
Dad, who was looking at pictures of birds in his bird book, chuckled. "Opposite day, huh? And what does that mean exactly?"
Olivia, with her big, curious eyes, explained, "The squirrel, his name is Chestnut by the way, said everything is flipped! Up is down, happy is sad, and you have to eat dessert first!"
Dad raised an eyebrow, "Well, that sounds like quite an adventure. How do we get to this opposite Moon?"
Olivia, always smiling, pulled a sparkly purple bottle from her pocket. "Chestnut gave me this!" She held up the bottle. Inside, a glittery pink liquid shimmered. "He said it's Moon Potion! But we have to drink it at exactly midnight!"
Dad, always up for an adventure, especially one that might let him see a new kind of bird, agreed. So, when the clock struck twelve, Olivia and Dad, holding their breath, drank the Moon Potion.
The next thing they knew, they were floating! Olivia giggled, her feet dangling beneath her. "We're on the Moon, Dad! Look!"
The Moon was just like Chestnut described. The ground was rocky with big dips called craters, but it glowed so brightly that Olivia didn't need her nightlight. They could see Earth, a swirling blue and green ball, hanging in the distance.
Suddenly, a friendly voice startled them. "Welcome to the Moon! Did you know it's opposite day?" A little witch with a pointy hat and a kind smile floated before them. She held a book that sparkled with tiny stars.
"We did!" Olivia exclaimed. "But we don't know what's opposite about it yet."
The witch chuckled, "Well, on the Moon, bravery is shown by doing things that make you a little scared!"
Olivia's eyes widened. She was good at many things, like making friends with animals and finishing her vegetables, but being brave when she felt scared was hard.
"For example," the witch pointed to a giant mushroom bouncing nearby, "that's a Bouncy Shroom. It takes a lot of courage to hop on because it flings you way up high! Want to try?"
Olivia hesitated. Going way up high sounded a little scary. But she remembered what the witch said about being brave on the Moon. Taking a deep breath and holding tight to her Dad's hand, she climbed onto the bouncy mushroom.
And then, whoosh! They were launched high into the air, soaring past shooting stars. Olivia laughed, feeling her fear melt away as she flew through the darkness.
When they landed, Olivia, with a proud grin, told the witch, "That was amazing! I faced my fear!"
The witch nodded. "You showed great courage, little one!"
They spent the rest of their time on the Moon meeting talking moon rocks, playing tag with moonbeams, and even trying moon cheese, which surprisingly tasted like chocolate chip cookies!
As the sun began to rise on Earth, it was time to go. The witch gave Olivia a little pouch of moondust. “Sprinkle this when you need a little extra courage,” she winked.
Back in their living room in Dallas, Olivia and Dad, still a little sparkly from the moondust, looked at each other and smiled. Olivia knew, even though she was back home, she could be brave anytime, anywhere, even if it was a little scary. All she had to do was remember the Moon and the opposite kind of courage she found there.
