One day, Emma's dad came home from bird watching with the most amazing news. “Emma! Guess what?” he said. “There's a secret volcano nearby, and I think it might erupt soon!”
Emma giggled. She loved when her dad told stories. “A volcano in Los Angeles? That sounds silly!”
“It’s true!” Dad insisted, pulling out a crumpled map. “It's hidden in the mountains, and it's supposed to be full of magic.”
Emma, who loved anything magical, especially fairies, was immediately interested. Maybe the fairies could help her talk to animals, which was her very special superpower!
“Can we go, Dad? Please?” she begged, her eyes wide and sparkly.
Dad smiled. He loved an adventure just as much as Emma. “Let’s pack a picnic and go see this volcano!”
They drove into the mountains, following the squiggly lines on Dad’s map. Finally, they reached a clearing, and there it was – a real life volcano, just like in Emma’s picture books! Smoke puffed from the top, and the air smelled like hot rocks.
As they started hiking up the side of the volcano, it got hotter and hotter. Emma started to worry. “What if it erupts, Dad?”
Dad squeezed her hand. “It’s going to be okay. Remember what your mom always says? We are resilient! We can face anything!”
Suddenly, they heard a tiny voice. “Helloooo!”
Emma gasped. A tiny person, no bigger than her thumb, with shimmering wings fluttered in front of them. It was a fairy!
“Don’t be afraid,” the fairy said, her voice like tinkling bells. “I am Flora, and this is the Volcano of Whispers. It’s grumpy because it’s afraid to erupt.”
Emma remembered what her mom said about resilience. “Maybe we can help the volcano be brave!” she exclaimed.
Flora the fairy nodded. “The volcano needs to hear a story of courage to feel better.”
Emma thought for a moment. She wasn’t very good at being brave, but she knew someone who was. “My dad is really brave! He’s not scared of anything – not even spiders!”
Dad blushed but started telling the story of how he once saved a baby bird that fell out of its nest. The volcano seemed to listen as his voice echoed across the mountain.
As Dad finished his story, the ground rumbled. The volcano trembled, and for a moment, Emma was scared. But then something magical happened.
Instead of erupting with fire and lava, the Volcano of Whispers burped out a giant cloud of…glitter! It sparkled in the sunshine, raining down on Emma and her dad.
Flora giggled. “The volcano feels better now! It just needed to get that glitter out of its system.”
Emma hugged her dad, her heart filled with joy. They had helped the volcano be brave and resilient, just like them! As they walked back to the car, hand in hand, Emma knew this was an adventure she would never forget.
