Echo Cave

On the far side of Willow Park, behind a tumble of giant rocks, Mira and Max found a narrow opening. They squeezed through and gasped. Inside, a cave shimmered like moonlight on water. The air hummed softly, waiting.

"Whoa, a real echo cave. Say something. Hello? Hello?" Max said.

"It copies you," Mira said.

They tried again silly words, funny ones, giggly ones. And each time, sparkles flitted across the walls like tiny stars waking up.

"Weird. It glows brighter when we say nice things. From the ceiling, glow worms peeked out, glowing like tiny lanterns," Mira said.

"Psst, the cave can hear you. Every word you say makes tiny sparkles float in the air. And when your words are kind, the cave shimmers and shines even brighter," Glow Worm said.

Max and Mira's eyes widened with wonder. They keep walking. Mira hums an original tune.

"Wow, Mira, your song sounds awesome," Max said.

"Awesome, awesome. Thanks, Max. I've been working really hard on my songs," Mira said.

Mira let Max's kind words sink in. She watched the cave shimmer, enjoying the moment, and suddenly realized she was a few steps behind him.

"Earth to Mira. Come on, keep up, slowpoke," Max said.

"Slowpoke, slowpoke," Mira said.

"The shiny light flickered away and the cave grew dim. Mira felt sad. The light was gone," Glow Worm said.

Hey, don't call me a slowpoke. That didn't feel nice. You're right. I'm sorry. As soon as he said sorry, the cave started to glow again. Kind words send sparkles into the air, even if you can't see them. They make hearts feel warm and happy. Unkind words make the sparkles fade away. So choose kind words. They help the world shine a little brighter. Glow worms, what about things we say and think about ourselves? Like, "I'm bad at writing letters," or, "I'll never get it right"? I'll never get it right. I'll never get it right. The cave's glow dimmed to a tiny flicker. The words you whisper to yourself have their own sparkles. Kind ones make your heart shine warm and bright. Unkind ones can make that light fade. Then what if we say, "I can keep trying and get better"? I can get better, get better. The cave walls and ceiling began to sparkle again. See? Kind words to yourself make your heart light up, just like the cave. At the end of the tunnel, a sliver of sunlight shimmered through. They stepped into daylight. From that day on, Max and Mira spoke as if their words carried light, brightening hearts one kind word at a time.