An Hi pushed open the classroom door and gasped. The room was full of color and light. He had never seen anything so bright.
He tiptoed past the block corner, the painting table, and the cozy reading nook with its soft cushions. 'Everything is new today,' he whispered, and his sneakers squeaked on the shiny floor.
An Hi knelt by the sensory bin and pulled out a smooth blue stone. He held it up to the sunbeam and the stone glowed like a tiny piece of sky.
'I found this,' he said to no one, and a smile pulled at the corners of his mouth.
An Hi climbed onto the step stool at the art table and picked up a paintbrush. He dipped it in red, then yellow, then blue, and his arm swished through the air making swirls of color on the paper.
The brush left a trail that looked like a rainbow dancing across the page.
The teacher looked at the painting, then at An Hi, and her eyes crinkled. She reached into her drawer and pulled out a small card with a golden star stuck to the front.
'For you, An Hi,' she said, and the star caught the light and sparkled.
An Hi held the card close to his chest and looked at the golden star. He walked over to the window seat and sat down, the card tucked safely in his pocket.
Sunlight warmed his shoulders, and he traced the edges of the star with his finger, very still and very happy.
He stayed there for a long time, watching the light move across the floor, the golden star right there in his hands.
The classroom felt like the best place in the whole world.