Noah looked up from his toy cars. "Dad, why does the moon shine so bright?"
Dad smiled. "Well, some say it's because a little boy named Noah forgot to put away his toys." He winked.
Suddenly, a tiny bird with feathers that shimmered like moonlight landed on Noah's head. It chirped and dropped a tiny, glowing feather. Noah gasped! It wasn't a regular feather; it was a tiny key!
"This key, Noah," the little bird chirped, "unlocks the moon! It needs your help!"
Before Noah could blink, the key floated up, pulling him and the little bird towards the ceiling! They zipped past the clouds, higher and higher, until the moon loomed large before them. The key nestled into a tiny hole, and with a click, a hidden door swung open!
Noah, still clutching the little bird, stepped inside. The moon was amazing! It was like a giant playground with craters to hop in and no gravity to hold him down. He bounced and floated, giggling as the Earth spun lazily in the distance.
But then he saw them: piles of dusty moon rocks, scattered star charts, and a giant, cobweb-covered telescope.
"This place is a mess!" the little bird chirped, shaking its head. "No one has done chores here in ages!"
Noah had an idea. "We can make a chore chart, just like the one at home!"
He used his super speed, zipping around the moon faster than a shooting star. He gathered moon rocks to make a giant chalkboard, then used sparkling moon dust to draw pictures: a broom for sweeping up stardust, a bucket for collecting lost moon rocks, and even a tiny feather duster for the telescope.
The little bird, chirping happily, helped too! It used its beak to draw stars around each chore. When they were finished, the moon sparkled brighter than ever!
Just then, a sleepy-looking old man with a long, white beard floated by. "What’s all this?" he grumbled, rubbing his eyes. "It's brighter than a supernova in here!"
"We cleaned!" Noah said proudly. "And we made a chore chart so you can keep the moon tidy!"
The old man peered at the chart. His frown slowly turned upside down. "A chore chart, eh? Well, I'll be a comet's tail! This is a wonderful idea!"
He clapped his hands, and a plate of warm, gooey moon-cheese cookies appeared! "Thank you, Noah! You’ve done the moon a great service."
Noah shared the cookies with the little bird, his heart filled with joy. Helping with chores wasn't so bad, especially when it made the moon shine so bright!
With a wave to the old man, Noah and the little bird used the magic key to zip back home. As they landed gently on his bedroom floor, Noah noticed his toy cars scattered around.
Smiling, he knew just what to do. He put away his cars, then pulled out his crayons and paper. He was going to make a chore chart for his room, too, with a special spot for a certain little bird to help. After all, even heroes have to do chores!
