"Whee! This is the best swing ever!" William yelled, pumping his legs high in the air. He was soaring above the backyard, pretending to be a superhero flying over the city.
Mom smiled, watching from her comfy lawn chair. "William, you're going to fly right off into the neighbor's yard!"
William giggled. "I'm too strong for that! I have super strength, remember?" He puffed out his chest, flexing his tiny muscles.
"Oh, that's right," Mom said, playing along. "I forgot about your superpowers."
Suddenly, a big, sparkly ball landed with a *thump* right in front of William's swing. He stopped swinging and hopped off to get a closer look. The ball shimmered in the sunlight, covered in glitter and gold stars.
"Wowzers!" William exclaimed, his eyes wide. "Look at this amazing ball!"
Before Mom could answer, a little figure popped out from behind the bushes. He wore a tiny crown on his head and a serious expression on his face.
"That's my ball," the little figure said. "I need it back."
"You're a prince?" William asked, forgetting about the ball for a second.
The little prince nodded. "I'm Prince Thomas. And I lost my lucky ball."
William picked up the sparkly ball and held it out to the prince. "Here you go!"
Prince Thomas took the ball, but his frown stayed put. "Thank you," he mumbled.
Mom walked over to them. "It's very nice of you to return the ball, William," she said. "Isn't it nice to be grateful?"
"Grateful?" Prince Thomas looked confused.
"It means being happy and thankful for good things," William explained. "Like when someone gives you back your lucky ball!"
Prince Thomas looked down at the sparkly ball in his hands. "Hmmm, I guess so," he said. "But I don't really know how to be grateful."
William's eyes widened. "You don't? But it's super easy! You just have to say 'thank you' and smile." He beamed a giant grin at the prince.
Prince Thomas tried to copy him, but his smile looked more like a grimace.
"Don't worry," William said. "I'll teach you! First, let's find things to be grateful for."
They spent the rest of the afternoon finding things to be grateful for in the backyard. William pointed out the warm sunshine, the beautiful flowers, and the funny chirping birds. He even found a fat, wiggly worm and declared it the "wiggliest worm ever!"
At first, Prince Thomas didn't see what the big deal was. But as they went on, he started to notice things he'd never paid attention to before. He noticed the way the sunlight made the leaves sparkle, and the sweet smell of the flowers. He even giggled when the wiggly worm tickled his hand.
"Hey," Prince Thomas said, a slow smile spreading across his face. "This is actually kind of fun."
"See?" William said, throwing his arm around the prince's shoulders. "Being grateful is awesome!"
Prince Thomas looked at William, his smile genuine this time. "Thank you, William. You taught me something really important today."
As the sun started to set, it was time for Prince Thomas to go back to his kingdom. He promised to visit William again soon, and this time, he knew he would remember to be grateful for the fun they had together.
William waved goodbye to the prince, his heart full of joy. He learned that helping others was even more rewarding than having super strength. And he felt incredibly grateful for his new friend, the very grateful Prince Thomas.
