The sun warmed William's face. It tickled his nose. William giggled. "Mom, can we go to the beach?" he asked.
Mom smiled, "Of course, sweetie! Grab your bucket and shovel."
William zoomed around the living room. "Who needs a bucket and shovel when you have super strength?" he whispered, flexing his tiny muscles. He found his favorite red shovel anyway.
The drive to the beach was always an adventure. William imagined the car was a spaceship, soaring past the moon and stars. Finally, they arrived! The beach was bright and sunny, just like always.
William raced towards the water, his red shovel bouncing. Suddenly, he stopped. Something shimmered in the sand. Something big and round, like a giant silver seashell.
"Mom! Look!" William yelled, pointing his shovel.
Mom walked over, her eyes wide. "Oh my," she breathed. The shimmering thing wasn't a seashell. It was a spaceship! A tiny, silver spaceship, nestled in the sand like it belonged there.
A small door hissed open. A little blue alien peeked out. It looked scared.
William felt a warm feeling in his chest. He knew what it was: courage. He smiled at the alien and said, "Hi! Don't be scared. We're friendly."
The alien tilted its head. "Friendly?" it squeaked.
"Yes!" William said. He pointed to himself. "I'm William. This is my mom. We won't hurt you."
The alien slowly stepped out of the spaceship. It had big eyes and three fingers on each hand. "I am Zorp," it said. "My spaceship, it broke."
"We can help you fix it!" William said, feeling brave. He loved fixing things, even spaceships.
William, Mom, and Zorp spent the afternoon working on the spaceship. Mom used her storytelling skills to communicate with Zorp. William, with his super strength, helped lift heavy parts. They even brought their picnic basket closer so Zorp could try peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
Finally, the spaceship sputtered and whirred back to life. Zorp jumped with joy. "Thank you, William! Thank you, Mom!"
Zorp gave them a small, glowing rock from his planet before he zoomed away.
As William and his mom walked back to the car, hand-in-hand, William knew something important. Courage wasn't about being the strongest. It was about being kind and helping others, even if they were small, blue aliens from outer space.
