Lily stepped into the classroom clutching her crumpled blue bird drawing. The room buzzed with voices. Ding! The bell rang.
Lily smoothed the crumpled page and sat down. She drew and drew, then lifted her paper to show the girl at the next table. The girl shook her head and turned away.
A crayon rolled off the desk — clatter, clatter, clatter — and stopped by Lily's shoe.
Lily redrew the blue bird, bigger this time, with sparkly wings. She showed it to a boy building blocks, but he knocked his tower instead.
The bird on the page seemed to blink. Lily blinked. The bird definitely blinked.
Lily gasped and dropped her crayon. The blue bird hops off the page — flap, flap, flap — and lands on her shoulder. It pecks gently at her ear.
Lily laughs out loud. The bird pecks her ear again — warm and ticklish.
The girl from the next table leaned over. 'Can my bird share?' she asked, holding up a yellow sketch.
Lily nodded and drew a second bird. They drew together all morning.
The bell rang — Ding! — but neither girl moved.
Lily looked at her blue bird, then at her yellow bird sketch. She didn't want to leave.
Lily gathered her things slowly, clutching both birds close. Tomorrow, she thought, tomorrow we draw again.