Mira spotted something shining on her windowsill. It was a map, and its edges glowed gold.
She traced the letter A with her finger. It wiggled under her touch! Then Letter B buzzed right past her nose.
Letter A bounced down the street like a bouncy ball. Letter B zipped past, tickling her nose. A for amazing! B for bounce!
The map pulsed and led her to a garden. Inside, Letters C, D, and E were stacking word-blocks into a tall, wobbly tower.
The tower wobbled and leaned. She steadied it with both hands. The letters cheered when the tower spelled her name.
Suddenly all twenty-six letters rose into the sky. They swirled and twirled, spelling out a shimmering sentence.
The letters formed words: Every new word is a door. They shimmered and swished apart like curtains.
Mira gasped. Behind each letter was a different world. She could see an ocean, a jungle, and even a castle made of crayons!
She tucked the glowing map into her pocket and walked home. Every sign, every window, every path called to her.
She read every sign she passed. The bakery said FRESH BREAD. The park said SILENCE. Even the fence said WATCH YOUR STEP.
At last she reached her own street. She stopped in front of her house and looked up at the letters on her door.
She read the letter on the knob. Then she smiled and turned the handle. Home was the best word of all.