Ruby’s Football That Glowed

Ruby finds a football that glows, and every pass builds a bridge of rainbow light.

One evening at Maple Street Pitch, Ruby found a football hidden under a bush. It was glowing, softly, like a tiny moon. Ruby picked it up. It was warm and tingly in her hands.

Ruby kicked the ball gently. It floated up, zoomed round in a circle, and landed with a PING at Lola’s feet. A little bridge of rainbow light appeared in the air.

‘Wow!’ said Lola the lion. ‘Let’s follow it!’ They kicked the ball again, and another piece of the rainbow bridge appeared. It rose up and up, towards the stars.

But Ruby was too excited. She kicked and kicked on her own. The rainbow flickered, and the glow grew dim. The bridge went wobbly. ‘Pass it!’ cried Lola.

Ruby passed the ball. Lola passed back. Each pass made the rainbow shine brighter. And they walked right up the bridge and into a floating garden.

There, Toby the dinosaur was waiting. ‘The glowing ball needs friends to make its magic,’ Toby said. ‘Every kick is a hello, every pass is a hug.’ Ruby thought about that.

They played all night in the land among the clouds, passing, laughing and shining. When the first sunlight reached the sky, the ball carried them softly home.

Back at the park, the ball stopped glowing, but Ruby wasn’t worried. She knew its secret now. Whenever she played with friends, there was a bit of magic in every pass.

💡

The little lesson

Magic works best when it is shared. Pass it on!

Let’s talk about it

  • Why do you think the ball only worked when the friends shared it?
  • If you had a magic ball, where would you go?

Finish stories to collect Ruby as a sticker in your Sticker Book.

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