Ana threw open her window and gasped. The sky was streaked with pink and gold light, and rainbow ribbons curled around the eaves of her house. The garden path shimmered like crushed gems. She sprinted inside, pulling every drawer and closet open.
She dug through every drawer and closet until she found it — her mother's jewelry box. Inside lay a tarnished silver tiara. She held it up to the light, her eyes widening, then marched to the kitchen table with it.
She slipped the tiara onto her head and marched to the back door. But outside — just a garden. Green grass, ordinary flowers, no ribbons, no shimmer. The tiara felt heavy and silly. She pushed the door shut with a sigh.
A mewing sound drifted from the old apple tree by the fence. Ana peeked over the garden wall and saw Mrs. Gable's calico cat clinging to a low branch, trembling. Its eyes were wide with fear.
Ana didn't think. She dropped to her knees and pressed her hands against the bark, then began to climb. Branches scratched her arms and knees as she reached higher, her teeth clenched with effort.
Her fingers closed around the cat, and the moment she pulled it into her arms, a deep rumbling purr vibrated against her chest. Warm silver-pink light pulsed up the tree trunk like a heartbeat.
The light wrapped around the cat's fur, and its orange and white stripes shimmered like scattered starlight. Ana climbed down carefully, and the cat wove between her legs in happy circles.
Ana picked up the silver tiara from the grass and set it on the garden bench. It could rest there for now. She walked back inside humming, and the warm sunlight followed her all the way to the kitchen.