Princess Lily and Her Brave Little Spark

Once upon a time, in a land filled with sparkling rivers and bouncy云朵 (yun duo - clouds!), lived a princess named Lily. Princess Lily loved to play! She loved running in the grassy fields. She loved splashing in the bubbly brooks. She loved to laugh! Lily lived in a big, sunny castle. It had towers that tickled the sky. It had gardens filled with yummy berries. But Lily wasn't always happy.

Lily felt…different. She loved wearing her sparkly dresses. But sometimes, she wished she could wear pants too! She loved being called “Princess.” But sometimes, she felt like…not a princess. Lily didn't know what she was feeling. It made her tummy feel all twisty-turny. One day, Lily was playing in the royal garden. She saw a tiny little spark! It wasn't a fire spark. It was a…happy spark. The spark bounced! It giggled! It looked like a tiny, twinkly star.

"Hello!" Lily said to the Spark. The Spark bounced closer. "Hello! I'm Spark!" it squeaked. Spark had a tiny voice. It was very cheerful. "I'm Lily," said the princess. "I'm happy to meet you, Spark." "I'm happy to meet YOU!" Spark bounced again. "What are you doing, Lily?" "I'm…playing," Lily replied. But she didn't sound very happy. Spark tilted its sparkly head. "Why do you sound sad?" Spark asked. Lily sighed. "I don't know," she said. "I just feel…different. I like being a princess. But sometimes…I want to be more than a princess."

Spark floated closer to Lily. "More than a princess?" it asked. "What do you mean?" Lily looked at her sparkly dress. She looked at her pointy princess hat. "I like these things," she said. "But…sometimes I want to wear pants. And sometimes, I don't want to be called 'Princess' all the time." Spark understood. "Oh!" it said. "I know what you mean!" Lily's eyes widened. "You do?" she asked. "Yes!" Spark bounced excitedly. "I'm Spark! I'm not a boy and not a girl. I'm just…Spark! I like being Spark!" Lily giggled. Spark was so funny and bouncy. "You're Spark!" Lily said. "That's a good name."

"What would you like to be called?" Spark asked. "If not Princess?" Lily thought very, very hard. She looked at the bouncy flowers in the garden. She looked at the sunny sky. She looked at Spark, twinkling and bright. "I…I want to be called Lily," she said. "Just Lily." Spark smiled. Or, well, sparkled even brighter. "Lily! I like that name!" Spark said. "Can I still wear my dress sometimes?" Lily asked. "Of course!" Spark bounced. "You can wear whatever you want! You can be Lily and wear a dress! You can be Lily and wear pants! You can be anything you want to be!"

Lily felt a big smile spread across her face. She felt happy! The twisty-turny feeling in her tummy was gone. "Really?" she asked. "Really, really!" Spark zipped around Lily in a circle. "Being you is the best thing ever!" From that day on, Lily was Lily. Sometimes, she wore her sparkly dresses and her pointy princess hat. Sometimes, she wore pants and a comfy shirt. Sometimes, she was called “Princess Lily.” Sometimes, she was just called “Lily.” And every time, she was happy.

One day, the King saw Lily wearing pants. He stopped. He looked surprised. "Lily," he said. "Why are you wearing pants? You are a princess!" Lily took a deep breath. She thought of Spark's words. "I'm Lily," she said. "And Lily can wear pants if she wants to!" The King looked confused. Then, he smiled. "You're right!" he said. "Lily can wear pants!" The Queen walked over. She was wearing a sparkly dress and…boots! “Hello, Lily,” she said. “These boots are comfy!”

Lily giggled. She hugged her mom and dad. She was so happy. She was Lily. And Lily was loved. Lily and Spark played in the garden. They laughed and bounced. They were the best of friends. They taught everyone in the kingdom that it was okay to be different. It was okay to be yourself. It was even sparkly! And so, the kingdom became even more happy and joyful. Everyone learned to love and accept each other, just the way they were. No matter what! And that made everyone feel like bouncing and laughing, just like Lily and Spark.