Lily stands at the classroom door, one hand gripping her backpack strap. Through the window she sees children building a block tower that reaches the ceiling. A red crayon rolls across the floor and stops at her scuffed sneaker.
Lily steps inside and walks toward the art table, but every chair is taken. She hovers near the door as a boy drops his crayon box — twenty-four colors spill across the rug like a rainbow explosion.
Lily picks up a yellow crayon and holds it out. A girl with pigtails grins and hands Lily a blue crayon. I'm Maya. We can draw the biggest castle ever. Lily follows Maya to the table, her fingers tracing the smooth wax of the new crayon. The block tower in the corner wobbles and crashes with a satisfying clatter.
Lily draws a tall tower on her paper while Maya draws a dragon. The dragon's tail accidentally bumps Lily's crayon, smudging the tower into a crooked, crookedly wonderful castle. Lily laughs — a real laugh that sounds like bubbles popping. Maya slides the whole crayon box toward her.
Lily places her crayon in the middle of the box and picks up her backpack. She walks to the block corner and helps the boy rebuild his tower, one block at a time. The classroom noise wraps around her like a blanket she didn't know she needed.
The block tower reaches the ceiling again, this time with a red block on top that the young girl placed there herself. Maya waves from the art table. The boy offers Lily the last green block. She takes it and fits it into place with a perfect click.
Lily stands at the classroom door, one hand gripping her backpack strap. Through the window she sees children building a block tower that reaches the ceiling. A red crayon rolls across the floor and stops at her scuffed sneaker.
Lily steps inside and walks toward the art table, but every chair is taken. She hovers near the door as a boy drops his crayon box — twenty-four colors spill across the rug like a rainbow explosion.
Lily picks up a yellow crayon and holds it out. A girl with pigtails grins and hands Lily a blue crayon. I'm Maya. We can draw the biggest castle ever. Lily follows Maya to the table, her fingers tracing the smooth wax of the new crayon. The block tower in the corner wobbles and crashes with a satisfying clatter.
Lily draws a tall tower on her paper while Maya draws a dragon. The dragon's tail accidentally bumps Lily's crayon, smudging the tower into a crooked, crookedly wonderful castle. Lily laughs — a real laugh that sounds like bubbles popping. Maya slides the whole crayon box toward her.
Lily places her crayon in the middle of the box and picks up her backpack. She walks to the block corner and helps the boy rebuild his tower, one block at a time. The classroom noise wraps around her like a blanket she didn't know she needed.
The block tower reaches the ceiling again, this time with a red block on top that the young girl placed there herself. Maya waves from the art table. The boy offers Lily the last green block. She takes it and fits it into place with a perfect click.
