The Blanket Fort Kingdom

Mia and her little brother Noah loved building blanket forts. One rainy afternoon, they made the biggest fort ever—with chairs and cushions and every blanket in the house.

"This is our kingdom!" declared Mia, wearing a pillowcase cape.

"I'm a knight!" said Noah, holding a cardboard tube sword.

That night, something magical happened. As they snuggled inside the fort with their flashlight, the blankets began to shimmer.

Suddenly, they weren't in their living room anymore. They were in a real castle made of soft quilts and fluffy pillows! Outside the windows, cotton-ball clouds floated by in a purple sky.

"Welcome to the Blanket Fort Kingdom," said a friendly voice.

A little creature that looked like a fuzzy sock with button eyes hopped toward them. "I'm Sir Fluffington! We've been waiting for rulers like you."

All around them, stuffed animals were coming to life! Teddy bears marched in lines, and plush bunnies hopped about carrying tiny lanterns.

"What do we do as rulers?" asked Mia.

"Tonight is the Festival of Dreams!" said Sir Fluffington. "We need you to light the Dream Candle so all the children in the world can have happy dreams."

Mia and Noah were led to a tall tower made entirely of pillows. At the top sat a candle that sparkled with rainbow light.

"Together," whispered Noah.

They touched the candle, and it burst into gentle flame. Warm, golden light spread across the entire kingdom. The stuffed animals cheered!

As the light washed over them, Mia and Noah felt very, very sleepy.

When they woke up, they were back in their blanket fort. Morning sunlight peeked through the blankets.

"Did that really happen?" yawned Noah.

Mia was about to say it was just a dream when she noticed something—a tiny button, just like Sir Fluffington's eyes, lying on her pillow.

She smiled and whispered, "Our kingdom is waiting for us tonight."

The End