Mira walked along the neighborhood street. From the play area, friends waved and called, “Come play!”
Mira dashed over. A bright red ball rolled between Mira’s shoes.
Mira kicked the ball and joined the game. “Only five minutes!” Mira pointed down the street.
CLANG! The playground bell rang. Mira held up five fingers and counted, “One, two, three, four, five!”
Mira played fast: hop, toss, catch! The ball bounced away, and Mira chased it.
A friend called, “Mira, wait!” But Mira kept running past the five-minute mark.
Mira raced past a squeaky gate. A dog barked behind the fence: “Woof! Woof!”
“Mira!” called her mother. Mira stopped. The red ball popped into a bush with a funny plop.
Mira ran home and closed the door. Outside, the street grew quiet again.
Mira listened to the quiet clock. “Next time, Mira will listen,” she said.
Outside, the friends’ ball rolled gently to the doorstep. It waited there, ready for another game.
The ball waited. Somewhere down the street, a friend called, “Come play!”