Lila marched right up to the teacher's desk. She planted both hands on it. 'Will I grow taller?' she asked, pointing at the chalk line on the wall.
She hopped onto a reading stool and swung her legs. Too short to touch the floor. 'Will I get smarter? Braver?' She tapped the thick encyclopedia, then the lion photo on the shelf.
The teacher opened a small red box and lifted out a smooth river stone, a broken crayon, and a folded note. 'These grew on my shelf for a while,' she said. 'They didn't get bigger. They just became part of things.'
Lila picked up the broken crayon and pushed it toward the teacher's open hand. 'You dropped this.' She pulled her stool closer and waited.
The teacher's face changed. A slow smile spread across her mouth. Lila pulled her stool right up to the desk and watched.
Later, Lila stood at the chalk line and looked up. Then she looked back. It hadn't moved at all. She grinned.
She picked up her backpack and gave the teacher a quick hug. The bell rang. Time to go.
Lila walked to the door. She was already smaller than yesterday. But somehow, just right.