The sun warmed Evelyn's cheeks like a gentle hug. She giggled, the grass tickling her toes as she ran into the backyard. "Daddy, look!" she squealed, pointing at the backyard. It sparkled! Shiny, glittery specks covered everything. It was like a fairy had sprinkled magic dust all over!
Dad, who was polishing his car, chuckled. "That's strange," he said, walking over. "It looks like glitter, but where did it come from?"
Evelyn, ever the explorer, crouched down, her tiny fingers carefully picking up a speck. "It's like tiny stars!" she exclaimed.
Dad examined the sparkling dust. He didn't know what to make of it. "Hmm," he pondered, scratching his head. "Let's investigate!"
Evelyn jumped up and down. "Investigate!" she repeated, clapping her hands. She loved a good mystery.
First, they checked the trees, peeking under leaves and behind branches. No glitter factory hiding there! Next, they inspected Dad's car, just in case the sparkly stuff had fallen from it. But the car was clean.
"Hmm," Dad said, his forehead crinkling. This was a real head-scratcher! "Where could it have come from?"
Suddenly, Evelyn gasped, pointing towards the vegetable patch. There, nestled between a plump tomato and a bright green pepper, sat a tiny, shimmering creature! It was unlike anything Evelyn had ever seen before. It was round and squishy like a jellybean, with bright, swirling colors and big, curious eyes.
"Wow!" Evelyn whispered, her eyes wide with wonder. "Hello!"
The little creature blinked its big eyes and made a happy, squeaky sound. It held out a tiny, glittering hand towards Evelyn.
Dad looked at the creature, then at Evelyn. He had never seen anything quite like it. But seeing the look of pure joy on Evelyn's face, he knew this little creature was friendly.
"It seems we have a visitor from outer space, Evelyn," Dad said, a smile spreading across his face.
Evelyn giggled and carefully shook the creature's hand. It felt cool and smooth, like a wet pebble.
The little creature squeaked again and pointed a tiny finger at the sky, then at itself, then back at the sky.
"I think it's trying to tell us where it came from," Dad said.
Evelyn nodded. She understood. This tiny, glittery creature had traveled all the way from the stars! What an adventure!
As the sun began to set, the little creature started to shimmer and fade. "I think it's time for our friend to go home," Dad said softly.
Evelyn waved goodbye to the creature, a warm feeling in her heart. Even though she was a little sad to see it go, she felt brave and happy. She had made a new friend, a friend from another world!
The next morning, the glitter was gone. The backyard looked just like it always did, but Evelyn knew it wasn't the same. Now, it held a secret, a magical memory of a tiny, sparkly visitor from the stars, and the courage she found within herself to befriend someone so different. And that made all the difference.
