In the small town of Willowbrook, where cobblestone streets twisted like puzzle pieces, there was a peculiar sight—a pink cat. No one knew where it came from, and no one had ever seen a pink cat before.
Little Emma was the first to notice it. She was sitting on her porch, swinging her legs, when she saw the cat strolling down the street. Its fur was the color of cotton candy, soft and shiny under the morning sun.
“Mom! Look at that cat!” Emma pointed, but when her mother turned, the cat had vanished.
That night, Emma peeked outside her window, hoping to see it again. The moonlight bathed the street in silver, and there, right in the middle of the road, sat the pink cat. It looked straight at her with its big, twinkling emerald eyes.
Emma felt a tingle of excitement. Carefully, she tiptoed downstairs, slipped into her slippers, and opened the front door. The cat didn’t run. It simply flicked its fluffy tail and started walking.
Emma followed.
Through the empty streets they went, past the bakery with its sweet-smelling air, past the park where the swings swayed in the breeze. Finally, the cat led her to a place she had never noticed before—a tiny wooden door at the base of the tallest oak tree in town.
The cat sat down and purred.
Emma hesitated. Should she open it? She reached for the handle, but before she could turn it, the cat spoke!
"Emma," it said in a voice as soft as a whispering wind, "inside this door is a world of magic, a place where stories come to life."
Emma’s eyes widened. "Stories come to life?"
The pink cat nodded. "Only those who believe in magic can enter."
Emma took a deep breath and pushed the door open.
A warm golden light spilled out, and suddenly, she was no longer in Willowbrook. She stood in a meadow filled with giant books stacked like mountains. Floating letters twirled in the air, creating new words as they danced. Tiny creatures with wings made of paper fluttered around, whispering stories to one another.
"Wow!" Emma gasped.
"This is the Library of Lost Stories," the pink cat explained. "Every story that was forgotten or never told ends up here, waiting for someone to read it."
Emma’s heart swelled with joy. She loved stories! She ran her fingers over a giant book labeled "The Tale of the Moonlight Fox." The moment she touched it, the book flipped open, and a silver fox leaped out, wagging its tail.
"Go on," the cat encouraged. "Explore!"
Emma spent what felt like hours running through stories, meeting characters who had been waiting to be discovered. She rode on the back of a flying whale, danced with a talking teacup, and even solved a mystery with a tiny detective mouse.
But soon, the pink cat appeared beside her. "It’s time to go back now, Emma."
Emma sighed. "Will I ever return?"
The cat’s green eyes sparkled. "Whenever you read, you’ll always find your way back."
And with that, Emma found herself back in Willowbrook, standing in front of the oak tree. The tiny door was gone.
But the pink cat?
It was still there, watching her with knowing eyes before it flicked its tail and disappeared into the night.
From that day on, Emma read more than ever, knowing that somewhere, in a magical library hidden beyond a tiny wooden door, the stories were waiting for her.
