Lily walked home from school along the sunny road. Then she stopped dead — a tiny brown puppy sat in the middle of the pavement.
She dropped her backpack, crouched down, and held out a finger. The puppy sniffed it, licked her thumb, and Lily picked him up. He felt warm and soft.
Lily carried the puppy toward the houses, hoping someone would help. At Mrs. Green's garden, the puppy's ears perked up at a loud bark.
Lily covered her mouth with both hands. At Mr. Patel's porch, the door slammed shut before she could even knock.
She sat on the steps and patted the puppy's head. His tail gave one small thump against the concrete.
A tiny golden glow flickered in the tall grass beside the road. Lily watched a fairy with shimmering wings pop into view.
The fairy clapped her hands and sparkles drifted everywhere, landing on the puppy's nose. 'I can help,' the fairy said.
'But you have to try them yourself,' the fairy said, pointing toward three houses near the forest edge. Lily nodded.
Lily grabbed her backpack and marched toward the first house. She knocked on three doors with the puppy curled in her arms.
At the first house, a dog barked so loudly that the puppy hid behind Lily's leg and she covered her own ears.
At the second house, a cat walked slowly past the open door without even looking at them.
At the third house, everything was quiet. The porch light clicked on, and a little boy stepped out holding a frayed teddy bear.
The boy crouched down and the puppy immediately crawled into his lap. Lily held her breath.
Lily's mom appeared in the doorway and smiled. 'Would you like to come play with him anytime?' she asked.
Lily's grin stretched all the way to her cheeks. The puppy wagged his tail against the boy's knee.
The fairy waved once from the bushes before disappearing into golden light. 'Thank you,' Lily whispered.