Milo balanced one last empty package on top of his towering paper castle. The cozy playroom floor was a sea of scattered scissors, tape, and colorful craft supplies. He stepped back to admire his wobbly construction.
Suddenly, the top box sprouted two thin corrugated legs and a wide, painted-on black smile. It hopped right off the pile, marching straight toward a giant jar of red gummy candies resting by the wall.
Milo gasped, letting his metal scissors slip straight through his claws. They landed with a sharp clack on the wooden planks. "Beep bop, sweet!" the cardboard robot chirped, wiggling its freshly folded toes.
The little machine stretched one stiff arm toward a high wooden toy shelf. It bumped hard against a tippy plastic cup, sending a massive, sparkly cloud of blue glitter poofing outward into the air.
Milo giggled at the bright mess, dusting his arms before sweeping the sparkly powder out of the way. He dragged the heavy jar across the floor, sliding it right next to his clunky companion.
Humming a cheerful, buzzing tune, the robot leaned over the open rim. It grabbed a shiny red candy, shoving the chewy piece right against its drawn-on grin. Crunch, crunch, crunch went the cardboard.
Eager for more, the robot dashed across the rug toward a spilled pile of giant yellow treats. But its flat foot snagged hard on a stray purple crayon, and with a terrifyingly loud RIP, its arm tore halfway off.
The cardboard machine whirred to a sudden halt, letting out a sad, low honk. The torn paper limb dangled perfectly still above the carpet. Milo gently supported the damaged section, staring silently at his friend and hoping he could help.
Milo knew exactly what to build. He grabbed three incredibly sticky green candies, squished them flat as pancakes, and pressed them firmly over the jagged cardboard rip, smoothing out a thick, sweet bandage.
The sturdy patched robot twirled in a dizzy circle, its paper feet thudding happily on the woven rug. Milo handed his mechanical pal another chewy treat, sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with a huge grin in the bright playroom.
