Skylah was a little Ballerina in Ether Forest. She had soft shoes and a brave heart. She was shy at first. But she loved to twirl.
The trees in Ether Forest whispered, “Hush, hush.” Little lights blinked in the leaves.
Skylah tip-toed on a mossy path. “Hello, forest,” she said.
A Potion Maker popped out from behind a fern. The Potion Maker wore a tiny apron and carried a clinky bag of jars. “Hi, Skylah,” said the Potion Maker. “I make helpful potions. Want to help me?”
Skylah nodded. “Yes. What do we do?”
The Potion Maker pointed. “The forest colors are fading. The pink flowers look gray. The blue stream looks dull. We must restore colors.”
Skylah gasped. “Oh no.”
Far away, a Wizard mumbled, “No colors! Only gloom!” He waved a wand. Whoosh—more gray.
Skylah held her tutu. “I feel a little scared.”
The Potion Maker smiled. “Small steps. Like a dance.”
They looked for bright things. “We need three drops,” said the Potion Maker. “One drop of sunny yellow, one drop of berry red, one drop of sky blue.”
Skylah found a yellow leaf. She did a tiny hop. “Yellow!”
The Potion Maker tapped the leaf with a spoon. Plink. A yellow drop fell into a jar.
Next they heard a “plop-plop.” A red berry rolled down a log.
Skylah chased it with quick ballet steps. “Run, berry!” She caught it and giggled.
Plink. A red drop went into the jar.
Now they needed sky blue. But the sky-blue flower was behind a crooked root.
The Wizard stood there, frowning. “No, no, no,” he said.
Skylah took a deep breath. She lifted her arms like wings. “Excuse me, Wizard,” she said, very politely.
The Wizard blinked. “A tiny dancer?”
Skylah twirled once. Slow. Then twice. Her shoes went tap-tap. Her skirt went swish.
The Wizard’s eyebrows rose. “That is… pretty.”
Skylah smiled. “Colors make pretty things. Even for you.”
The Wizard looked at the gray forest. His mouth got small. “I… forgot,” he whispered.
The Potion Maker said, “We can share.”
The Wizard lowered his wand. “Go on,” he said.
Skylah tip-toed past the root and found the sky-blue flower. She bowed to it. “Thank you.”
Plink. A blue drop went into the jar.
The Potion Maker shook the jar. “Shake-shake-shake!”
Skylah shook too. “Shake!”
The potion turned into a bright rainbow swirl.
“Now, pour,” said the Potion Maker.
Skylah poured a little on the stream. The water turned blue again and sparkled.
She poured a little on the flowers. Pink and red and yellow popped back, like happy buttons.
She poured a little on the trees. The leaves glowed green. The fireflies blinked, “Hello!”
The Wizard watched. His shoulders dropped. “It is… nicer,” he said.
Skylah offered her hand. “You can dance too.”
The Wizard made a silly wobble. “Wobble-wobble.”
Skylah laughed. The Potion Maker laughed. Even the trees seemed to laugh.
As a reward, the forest made a gift. A small chest rose from the moss. Click!
Inside were sparkling ballet ribbons, rainbow-colored, soft and shiny.
“For you, Skylah,” whispered Ether Forest.
Skylah tied the ribbons on her shoes. “I will dance and keep the colors safe,” she said.
The Potion Maker clinked the jars. “Teamwork!”
The Wizard nodded. “I will try kind magic,” he said.
Skylah twirled down the path, rainbow ribbons trailing behind, and Ether Forest glowed bright again.