Every morning Zion wakes up early. He lives in a small room on the farm. He puts on his soft shoes. He wears his blue hat. He tiptoes to the farm gate. He sees the green field. He feels the cool breeze. He smiles. He holds his red ball in his hands. He plans to play all day.
Zion is a boy. He lives on a farm. He has a red ball. He loves his ball. One day the ball is gone. Zion feels sad. He looks around. He looks near the barn. He looks near the pond. He looks by the fence. He cannot find the ball.
Zion calls his friends. Horse hears him neighing. Horse trots over. Horse is gentle. Horse looks with Zion. They search the hay. They search the grass. They search the dirt. They still cannot find the ball.
Zion calls Mouse. Mouse appears from the barn floor. Mouse is quick. Mouse is small. Mouse scurries under the wagon. Mouse scurries under the wheel. Mouse squeaks. Mouse cannot see the ball.
Zion feels quiet worry. Pig oinks at the stable gate. Pig is kind. Pig is round. Pig waddles over. Pig sniffs the ground. Pig sniffs the hay. Pig sniffs under the shovel. Pig cannot sniff out the ball.
Zion sits down. He feels the farm breeze. He feels the warm sun. He hears birds. He hears bees. He hears the wind in the grass. He sighs and says, "Where is my ball?"
Horse whispers. Mouse squeaks. Pig oinks softly. They all listen. They look and they think. They want to help Zion.
Suddenly they hear a low growl. Wolf steps out from the tall grass. Wolf is big. Wolf is shy. Wolf looks at Zion. Zion feels fear. Wolf growls low. But Wolf is not mean. Wolf lost a bone yesterday. Wolf is sad too.
Zion steps forward. He says, "Hello Wolf. Did you see my ball?" Wolf nods his head. Wolf points with his nose. Wolf leads the friends to a hill. They climb the hill. They see the red ball by a stone. Zion runs and picks up the ball. Zion is happy. He smiles big.
Zion thanks Wolf. Wolf smiles back. Wolf is no longer shy. Friends all share a happy dance. Horse neighed. Pig oinked. Mouse squeaked. Zion laughed.
Now everyone plays. They roll the red ball. They kick the ball. They chase the ball. They laugh in the sun.
At the end of the day, Zion goes home. He holds his ball. He says, "Thank you, friends." He says, "Thank you, Wolf." He waves goodbye. He feels joy and love.
At night, Zion hugs his ball. He hugs his pillow. He feels safe. He feels happy. He dreams of a new farm day. He dreams of running with Horse. He dreams of squeaky Mouse. He dreams of funny Pig. He dreams of gentle Wolf. He dreams of friends. Good night.