Where does the sun go when it sleeps? Scarlett wanted to know! It was a big question for a little girl, but Scarlett had big ideas. "Maybe," she thought, "the sun goes to a special market in the sky to buy yummy snacks for all the stars!" Scarlett giggled at the thought of the sun pushing a shopping cart across a sky full of twinkling lights.
"Woof!" barked Jacob, wagging his tail. He loved when Scarlett giggled.
"Do you want to go to the market, Jacob?" Scarlett asked.
Jacob barked again. He was always ready for an adventure, especially if it involved food.
Scarlett's mom helped her put on her shoes. "We're going to the market, Mommy!" Scarlett said, holding up a shiny, red apple toy. "We're going to find the sun!"
"That sounds like fun, sweetie," her mom said, "but remember, the sun is very far away. We'll see it when we come back out, though!"
The market was bustling! There were so many colors and smells. Scarlett held tight to her mom's hand as they walked past stalls overflowing with fruits and vegetables. There were red apples, of course, but also purple carrots, orange blueberries, and even rainbow-striped bananas!
Scarlett gasped. A princess, wearing a beautiful silver dress and a sparkling crown, was buying a big, juicy pear. The princess saw Scarlett staring and smiled.
"Hello," the princess said. "This pear is out of this world! It's from my planet, actually. Would you like to try a bite?"
Scarlett, a little shy, nodded. The princess broke off a piece of the pear and gave it to her. It tasted like sunshine and raindrops!
"Wow!" Scarlett exclaimed. "It's delicious! But... you're a princess. Do you live in the sky?"
The princess laughed. "Not exactly in the sky," she said. "I travel in a special spaceship. It's very fast! My planet is quite far away, but we love to come to Earth for the delicious food and friendly faces."
Scarlett's mind raced. Maybe the sun did shop here after all! "Have you ever seen the sun at this market?" she asked, her eyes wide with hope.
The princess tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I haven't seen the sun here," she admitted, "but I have seen the moon buying cheese!"
Scarlett giggled. She could just imagine the moon, a big ball of cheese in its hands!
"It's time to go, sweetie," her mom said. "We'll come back to the market again soon, okay?"
Scarlett waved goodbye to the princess and Jacob gave a happy bark. As they walked back outside, Scarlett looked up at the bright sun and smiled. Even though she didn't see the sun shopping, the market was still a magical place, full of surprises. And who knows, maybe one day she would bump into the moon buying cheese!
