Grandpa tossed a sparkly blue ball high in the air. Scarlett giggled as it landed with a soft thud in the backyard. It wasn't just any ball; Grandpa called it a "Story Starter." He said it came from a faraway planet where everyone told the best stories!
"Okay, Scarlett," Grandpa boomed, winking as he adjusted his pirate eye patch, "What kind of story will we find in this ball today?"
Scarlett, with her big, bright eyes, pointed to the book in her lap. It had a picture of a shimmering mermaid on the cover.
Grandpa scooped up the book and opened it. "Ah, mermaids! Do you think they like to read, too?"
Scarlett nodded enthusiastically. She loved reading! Mom always said it made her super smart.
Suddenly, the "Story Starter" began to glow. It floated up, spun around, then shot a beam of blue light right at the book! The backyard shimmered and swirled, and when the light faded, there, splashing in Grandpa's inflatable kiddie pool, were two little mermaids!
They had shiny green tails and wore crowns of seashells. One held a tiny book made of seaweed. “Hello!” she chirped. “We’re Cora and Coral. We love stories!”
Scarlett, speechless, crawled closer. Grandpa’s jaw dropped. He pointed to the book. “You…you read?”
Coral giggled, splashing water with her tail. “Of course! We read all the time under the sea. Stories teach us about the world above the waves!”
Cora swam closer to the edge of the pool. “Will you read us a story?” she pleaded.
Scarlett, still amazed, nodded and carefully climbed onto Grandpa’s lap. She opened her book and pointed to the pictures. “This is a cat. He likes to sleep.”
“Ooh,” breathed Cora. “We’ve never seen a cat before. What else does it do?”
Scarlett read about the cat chasing a ball of yarn and napping in a sunbeam. Cora and Coral giggled and clapped their fins.
Then, Coral opened her seaweed book. It had pictures of colorful fish and sparkling coral reefs. She pointed to a picture of a giant squid with enormous eyes. “This is a Gloomwhale. It lives in the deepest, darkest part of the ocean and tells the best scary stories!"
Scarlett and Grandpa were captivated. The mermaids' stories were filled with magic and adventure.
Soon, it was time for Cora and Coral to return to the ocean. The “Story Starter” glowed again, bathing the backyard in blue light.
“Thank you for sharing your stories!” called Cora.
“And thank you for sharing yours!” shouted Coral. They waved goodbye with their shimmering tails as the light faded.
Scarlett and Grandpa looked at each other, their eyes wide with wonder. The backyard seemed even more magical now.
"See, Scarlett?" Grandpa chuckled, ruffling her hair. "Reading can take us anywhere, even to the bottom of the sea!"
Scarlett snuggled closer to Grandpa, clutching her book. She knew that every book she read would be a new adventure, filled with new friends and amazing stories, just like the mermaids she met in her very own backyard.
