At the bright Circus of Sunny Bells, flags went flap-flap in the wind. Red tents shone. Blue balloons bobbed. A tiny train went toot-toot.
Stellen the Supreme was there. Stellen was a Treasure Hunter. He wore a round hat, a little backpack, and very shiny boots. He was brave, but also kind. He never took a treasure without asking, “Does it belong to someone?”
One morning, the circus drum went boom-boom-boom.
“Help!” cried Ringmaster Rose. “The Golden Jingle Box is gone! It makes the music for our happy parade.”
No music meant no dancing ponies. No spinning clowns. No parade.
Stellen held up his small treasure map. “We will find it,” he said.
A clock went tick-tock behind him. Out stepped Time Traveler, wearing a silver coat with many tiny clocks. “I saw a big, white shadow walk by yesterday,” said Time Traveler. “It went toward the Popcorn Hill.”
Then a purple puff of smoke went poof! Illusionist appeared. She had a cape with yellow stars. She loved silly tricks. “I can make pretend arrows,” she said. “They may show the way.”
Poof! Three glowing arrows floated in the air.
“This way!” said Illusionist.
Stellen, Time Traveler, and Illusionist walked past the laughing mirrors. The mirrors made Stellen look tall, then tiny, then wibbly-wobbly.
“Ha ha!” giggled Illusionist.
At Popcorn Hill, they found huge footprints. Step. Step. Step.
And then they heard a sneeze.
“ACHOO!”
Popcorn flew everywhere. Pop! Pop! Pop!
Behind the hill sat Yeti. He was big and white and furry. He held the Golden Jingle Box in his giant hands.
Stellen took one brave step forward. “Hello, Yeti. That box belongs to the circus.”
Yeti hugged the box. “No,” he said in a small voice. “It goes jingle-jingle. My snowy mountain is too quiet. I wanted music.”
Stellen looked at Yeti’s sad, round eyes. He did not shout. He did not grab.
“We need the box for the parade,” said Stellen gently. “But maybe we can help you, too.”
Time Traveler turned one little clock. Tick-tock! For one minute, he showed Yeti a memory from yesterday. Yeti had watched the circus parade from far away. He had smiled when the music played.
“I like happy songs,” Yeti whispered.
Illusionist clapped her hands. Poof! She made a pretend marching band. Pretend elephants went oom-pah. Pretend ducks went quack-quack. Pretend trumpets went ta-da!
Yeti smiled, but then his smile fell. “Pretend music goes away.”
Stellen opened his backpack. Inside were three tiny treasure bells: one red, one blue, and one gold. “I found these on an old pirate boat,” he said. “You may have them. They can jingle on your mountain.”
Yeti blinked. “For me?”
“For you,” said Stellen. “If you bring back the Jingle Box.”
Yeti stood up. He was very tall. But he walked slowly, so no one would be scared. Together they went back to the Circus of Sunny Bells.
Ringmaster Rose was so happy. “The Golden Jingle Box!” she cried.
She turned its little key. Jingle-jingle! Jingle-jingle!
The ponies danced. The clowns spun. The tiny train went toot-toot-toot!
Yeti tapped one furry foot. “May I dance?” he asked.
“Yes!” said everyone.
Yeti danced a big, bouncy dance. Boom, bounce! Boom, bounce! The whole circus laughed kindly.
At the end, Ringmaster Rose gave Stellen a special prize: a small wooden treasure chest with a silver star on top. Inside was a golden compass that pointed to lost things.
“It is for Stellen the Supreme,” she said, “the Treasure Hunter with a brave heart and gentle hands.”
Stellen smiled. He gave Yeti the three treasure bells. Jingle, jingle, jingle.
Yeti went home with new music. Stellen went home with a new compass. And every time the circus parade began, Yeti could hear it from his snowy mountain.
Jingle-jingle. Toot-toot. Hooray!