

In Monsterville lived a tiny, quiet monster named Auggie. He had fuzzy blue fur and two wobbly horns. Auggie hid behind woolly market carts. “It’s cozy here,” he whispered.

From his window, Auggie watched Fuzzy-Ball. The bright orange ball bounced, boing, boing! A purple monster with sparkly scales, Lilah, kicked it. The ball zipped to Auggie’s window. “Oh,” he gasped, tummy wobbly.

Auggie’s horns wiggled with worry. He took a deep breath, held the ball, and stepped outside. “Is this yours?” he whispered to Lilah. Her face lit up. “You found it!”

“Do you want to play?” Lilah asked. Auggie’s tummy settled; he nodded. “Okay.” They ran, kicked the bright ball, and laughed together. He was still shy, but now he’d found a friend.