Jnari was a little boy. He was small, but brave. He lived near Ether Forest.
Ether Forest was soft and quiet. The trees looked like tall green pillows. Little lights blinked, like tiny stars.
One morning, Jnari looked down. “Oh no,” he said.
His red ball was gone.
“Ball!” Jnari called. “Where are you?”
A Lion stepped out from behind a fern. The Lion was big, but gentle. He had warm eyes.
“Hello, Jnari,” said Lion. “You look sad.”
“My ball is lost,” Jnari sniffed.
Lion nodded. “We will find it. Step by step.”
They walked. Crunch, crunch. Leaves under feet.
They listened. Hush… hush…
Soon they met the King. He wore a shiny crown and a long cape. The King was kind and calm.
“Good day,” said the King. “What do you seek?”
“My red ball,” said Jnari.
The King put a hand to his ear. “Ether Forest whispers. We must be curious. We must look.”
Then—whoosh!
A Wizard popped from a swirl of smoke. He had a tall hat and a twisty staff.
“Hee-hee!” said the Wizard. “I like to hide things!”
Jnari held Lion’s tail gently. “Give it back,” Jnari said, voice small.
Lion rumbled, not angry, just strong. “Please,” Lion said.
The King stood tall. “In my forest, we share,” said the King.
The Wizard blinked. “Hmm. You said please. That is new.”
He waved his staff. Sparkle! But the ball did not appear.
“Oh!” said the Wizard. “I forgot where I put it.”
Jnari took a slow breath. “We can look together,” he said.
The Wizard tilted his head. “Together?”
“Yes,” said Jnari. “No hiding. Just finding.”
They searched.
Under a mushroom: no ball.
Behind a rock: no ball.
Inside a hollow log: squeak! A little mouse ran out. Jnari giggled.
Lion tried to be quiet, but his paws went THUMP-THUMP. Jnari laughed more.
Even the King smiled.
At last they reached a tiny pond. The water was clear. The lights above it blinked in the leaves.
Something red floated near the edge.
“Ball!” Jnari shouted.
But it was stuck in a patch of sticky mud.
Lion leaned down. “I am strong,” he said.
He pulled—slow, slow.
The King held a leafy branch like a hook. “Steady,” said the King.
The Wizard puffed his cheeks. “I can help too.”
He used a small spell, not a scary one. “Pop-pop, mud let go!”
Plop!
Out came the red ball.
Jnari hugged it. “I found you!”
The Wizard looked shy. “I hid it for fun,” he said. “But you were sad.”
Jnari nodded. “Sad is not fun.”
The Wizard lowered his hat. “I am sorry.”
The King clapped once. “A good fix,” he said.
Lion smiled. “And we did it together,” he said.
The Wizard reached into his sleeve. “A gift,” he said.
He gave Jnari a tiny pouch.
Inside were three bright stickers shaped like stars.
“Stick them on your ball,” said the Wizard. “So it shines. So you can see it.”
Jnari’s eyes went wide. “Treasure!”
He stuck one star, then two, then three.
Now the ball looked magic and happy.
Jnari bounced it. Boing! Boing!
Lion batted it gently with his paw.
The King laughed. “Play time in Ether Forest!”
Jnari waved at the Wizard. “No more hiding,” he said.
The Wizard nodded. “No more hiding,” he promised.
And in Ether Forest, the little lights blinked softly, like they were saying, “Good job.”