Dryker is a superhero. He is kind and brave. He is also careful. He listens first.
Dryker lives near the Secret Cavern. The cavern is cool and quiet. Water goes drip, drip. Little lights blink on the walls.
Dryker walks in. “Hello, cavern,” he says.
A Lion comes near. The Lion is big, but gentle. He has warm eyes. He likes to help.
“Roar… hi,” says Lion, soft as a purr.
They hear a funny sound. Whooo… like a windy sigh.
It is Fantom. Fantom is a shadowy trickster. He likes to hide things.
Fantom whispers, “I took your shiny cave pebble! Find it if you can.”
Dryker blinks. “We will look. We will not cry,” he says.
Lion nods. “We look together.”
They tip-toe. The cavern has three small paths.
Path one has puddles. Path two has tall rocks. Path three has a sleepy echo.
Dryker points. “We follow the blinking lights.”
They walk on path one. Splish. Splash. Lion’s paws go wet.
Lion giggles. “My toes feel tickly.”
Dryker laughs. “Tickly toes are okay.”
But the shiny pebble is not there.
Fantom goes, “Whooo!” and makes the lights go dim.
Lion looks scared. His tail drops.
Dryker kneels. “Lion, I am here,” he says. “Hold my cape.”
Lion holds the cape. “Okay,” Lion whispers.
Dryker uses his superhero breath. In… out… slow.
Lion copies. In… out… slow.
The lights blink again.
They try path two. Climb, climb. Dryker is strong. Lion is steady.
A little rock rolls. Plip-plop!
Dryker says, “Careful feet.”
At the top is a hole like a mouth.
Fantom says, “Boo! Say the magic word!”
Dryker thinks. He is brave, but also polite.
He says, “Please.”
The hole opens wider. “Good,” says Fantom, sounding surprised.
Inside is a tiny door with a moon mark.
Lion sniffs. “Smells like honey.”
Dryker taps the door. “Hello?”
A soft echo answers, “Hello-hello.”
Dryker smiles. “Echo, can you help us find the shiny pebble?”
Echo says, “Follow-follow… the hum-hum.”
They listen. Hmmm… a gentle humming sound.
They go to path three.
The echo gets louder. The walls shine. The cavern feels like it is singing.
Behind a rock, Fantom is there. He holds the shiny pebble.
It is round and bright. It looks like a little star.
Lion steps forward. “Fantom, no hiding!”
Fantom floats back. “I was playing,” he says. “But I like the singing.”
Dryker stands tall. “We can play, but we do not steal,” he says.
Fantom looks down. “Sorry,” he whispers.
Dryker nods. “Thank you for saying sorry.”
Fantom puts the pebble on the ground. “Here,” he says.
Dryker picks it up. It warms his hand. The lights in the cavern glow brighter.
Then something neat happens.
The pebble makes a gentle beam. It points to a small stone box.
Lion’s eyes go wide. “Treasure?”
Dryker opens the box. Inside are three tiny glow-stickers shaped like stars.
“Wow,” says Lion.
Dryker shares. One sticker for Dryker’s cape. One sticker for Lion’s mane. One sticker for Fantom’s shadow.
Fantom gasps. “For me?”
“For you,” says Dryker.
Fantom smiles, just a little. “I will help now,” he says.
They stick the stars on. The Secret Cavern becomes bright and cozy.
Lion roars softly, happy. Dryker holds the shiny pebble.
Dryker says, “Teamwork.”
Lion says, “Together.”
Fantom says, “No more stealing.”
And the cavern sings, drip, drip, glow, glow, all night long.