Yebti was a little bandit with a blue scarf, soft boots, and a very polite voice. He lived in a tall castle with round windows and a roof shaped like a giant strawberry. The castle stood on a green hill. Its flags waved in the wind. Its kitchen smelled of warm bread.
Yebti was not the kind of bandit who took things from people. Oh, no. He was a helpful bandit. If someone dropped an apple, Yebti picked it up. If a mouse lost its button, Yebti searched under the chairs. If a sleepy guard forgot his hat, Yebti hung it on the guard’s hook.
Every morning, Yebti walked around the castle and said, “Good morning, stones! Good morning, doors! Good morning, squeaky stairs!”
One bright morning, he stopped in the courtyard.
Something was wrong.
The red roses were gray.
The yellow flags were gray.
Even the strawberry roof was gray.
“Goodness gracious!” cried Yebti. “The colors have gone away!”
From behind a fountain came a huge, fluffy Yeti. His name was Yeti, which made introductions very easy.
“I saw the colors fly out of the castle,” Yeti said. His furry ears drooped. “They went whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, toward the Sun Tower.”
Yebti looked up. On the tallest tower stood Sun Knight. He wore shiny gold armor and carried a shield that flashed like a tiny sun. Sun Knight was the castle’s morning guard. He liked rules, neat shoes, and polishing things until they sparkled.
“Sun Knight!” Yebti called. “Did you take our colors?”
Sun Knight looked worried. “I did not mean to! At sunrise, I found a golden button on the tower floor. I pressed it. Then my shield made a huge flash. The colors flew into my Sun Lantern, and the lantern snapped shut!”
He held up a round lantern. It had seven little locks: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, and pink.
“I cannot open it,” said Sun Knight. “The locks will only turn when they hear seven happy sounds. But I am afraid of making mistakes.”
Yebti smiled kindly. “Then we will make sounds together. A mistake can be funny. And funny can be happy.”
Yeti clapped his enormous hands. “Team job!”
The three friends began at the castle gate. To wake the red lock, they needed a brave sound. Yebti tapped his little boot on the ground.
“Tap, tap, tap,” he said. “I can try!”
Yeti stomped beside him. “STOMP, STOMP, STOMP! I can try too!”
Sun Knight took a deep breath. “Tap... stomp... I can try.”
The red lock clicked. A red sparkle zipped from the lantern and painted the roses red again.
“For orange,” said the lantern in a tiny bell voice, “bring a silly sound!”
Yeti tried to whistle. But because his nose was so big and fluffy, it made a loud “PFOOOF!”
Yebti fell onto the grass, laughing. Sun Knight laughed too. His laugh began as a small “heh,” then grew into “HA HA HA!”
Click! The orange lock opened. Orange returned to the carrots in the kitchen garden.
For yellow, they needed a sunny sound. Sun Knight tapped his shield softly.
“Ding!”
Yebti rang a spoon against a teacup.
“Ding-ding!”
Yeti shook the golden bell on his tail. Yes, Yeti had a bell on his tail. He wore it so no one would be surprised when he turned around.
“Jingle-jingle!”
Click! Yellow flew back to the flags.
For green, they had to find a growing sound. The friends hurried to the castle’s secret garden. Tiny peas climbed a little wall.
“Plants grow quietly,” whispered Yebti.
They all listened.
At first they heard nothing.
Then: “Pip!” A pea pod popped open.
Then: “Plink!” A drop of water fell from a leaf.
Then: “Mmm,” hummed a happy bee.
Click! Green raced over the hill, the trees, and Yeti’s favorite mossy bench.
The blue lock asked for a water sound. They ran to the fountain. But the fountain was dry because its silver fish had fallen asleep in the bowl.
Yebti gently tickled the fish with one feather from his scarf.
“Wake up, little fish,” he said.
The fish opened one eye. “Is it breakfast?”
“It is color-saving time!” said Yeti.
The fish flipped its tail. Splash! Water leaped up, twirled in the air, and came down with a cheerful “splish-splosh!”
Click! Blue painted the sky, the fountain, and Yebti’s scarf.
For purple, the lantern wanted a bedtime sound. “But it is morning,” said Sun Knight.
“That is all right,” said Yebti. “We can remember bedtime.”
Yeti hummed the soft song his grandmother Yeti used to sing. Yebti rubbed two velvet curtains together: “shush, shush.” Sun Knight spoke in his gentlest voice.
“Rest well, castle. Rest well, clouds.”
Click! Purple returned to the evening flowers and the wizard’s old plum jam.
Only the pink lock remained.
“For pink,” chimed the lantern, “I need the sound of a caring heart.”
The friends became very quiet.
Then they heard a tiny cry.
“Peep! Peep!”
Behind the tower, a baby bird had slipped from its nest. It shivered under a leaf. Yebti carefully cupped it in his hands. Yeti made a warm cave with his fluffy arms. Sun Knight took off his bright helmet so the bird would not be scared by the shine.
“We will help you,” Yebti whispered.
Together, they carried the little bird up the spiral stairs. Yeti went slowly, even though his feet were very big. Sun Knight held the nest steady. Yebti placed the baby bird beside its two sleepy brothers.
“Peep,” said the bird, much happier now.
Click!
The pink lock opened.
The Sun Lantern burst into a gentle rainbow. Colors whirled around the castle like ribbons in a dancing game. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, and pink rushed home.
The strawberry roof became red again. The castle windows glowed blue. The garden shone brighter than ever. Even Sun Knight’s serious armor had a tiny pink heart painted on one knee.
Sun Knight looked at it and blinked. “I suppose I do not mind,” he said.
Yebti grinned. “It suits you.”
Then the lantern gave one last rattle.
Clunk!
A small treasure chest dropped onto the grass.
Inside were three rainbow badges, three silver whistles, and a pile of chocolate coins wrapped in gold paper.
One badge said: YEBTI, KIND BANDIT.
One said: YETI, FLUFFY HELPER.
And one said: SUN KNIGHT, BRAVE FRIEND.
Sun Knight smiled so widely that his mustache wiggled. “May I join your morning walks?”
“Of course,” said Yebti.
So every morning, a little bandit, a big Yeti, and a shiny knight walked around the colorful castle.
“Good morning, stones!” said Yebti.
“Good morning, doors!” said Yeti.
“Good morning, squeaky stairs!” said Sun Knight.
And from the top of the strawberry roof, the baby bird answered, “Peep!”
Then they shared the chocolate coins, one by one, because even brave heroes need a sweet treasure after a busy day.