Oliver was building a fort in the living room, and it was a very good one. He stacked big pillows into walls, and he put a soft blanket on top for a roof. Then he crawled inside and closed his eyes for just a moment, to pretend.
When he opened them, the pillows were not pillows anymore. They were tall, round towers made of snow, sparkling in the soft golden light. Oliver was standing at the bottom of a gentle snowy hill, and at the top sat a castle that looked just like his fort, only bigger. A little round window glowed warm at the very top. Oliver knew he was in a pretend place, a dream place, and he smiled.
"Welcome!" called a small voice.
A little green dragon came waddling down the hill. She was about as tall as Oliver's knee, with a stripy scarf and a tail that wiggled when she walked. Her smile was big and friendly.
"I'm Pip," she said. "I'm the keeper of the snow castle. Would you like to build the best tower ever with me?"
"Yes, please!" said Oliver.
Pip's friend came puffing over too. He was a round, fluffy dragon named Bumble, with a woolly hat pulled over his ears. "I'll help!" he said. "I brought the biggest snowball in the whole hill."
So all three of them got to work. Oliver packed the snow tight. Pip patted it smooth with her paws. Bumble rolled the giant snowball to the top, huff, puff, huff. Soon the tower was almost as tall as Oliver.
"Now for the very top," said Pip. "A little round snow roof!"
Oliver was so excited to put it on. He reached up quickly, and his elbow bumped the tower. Whoosh! The top of the tower tumbled down and went plop in the soft snow.
Oliver's tummy felt funny. "Oh no," he said. "I'm sorry. I knocked it down."
Bumble looked at the pile of snow. He puffed out his cheeks. "That was my big snowball," he said, in a small grumbly voice. "I worked so hard on it."
Oliver felt his cheeks go warm. He did not mean to do it. He took a deep breath and said, "I'm really sorry, Bumble. I'll help you roll a new one."
Bumble looked at Oliver for a long moment. Then his round face went soft. "Everybody bumps things sometimes," he said. "I forgive you. Let's make it together."
Pip clapped her paws. "Friends again!" she cheered.
So the three of them rolled a new snowball. Oliver pushed on one side and Bumble pushed on the other, and Pip hopped along in front to show them the way. It was even rounder than the first one! Together they lifted it to the top of the tower, and this time Oliver was extra gentle. It sat there, perfect and shiny.
"Hooray!" they all said.
Just then, a sweet smell floated down the hill. It was hot cocoa! A tiny snow table stood by the castle door, with three warm mugs on it, each with a fluffy marshmallow on top. The three friends sat down in the soft snow and wrapped their hands around the mugs.
The cocoa was warm and sweet. Bumble leaned his woolly hat against Oliver's shoulder. Pip curled her tail around her feet. Little snowflakes drifted down, slow and quiet, like feathers.
"I'm glad we're friends," said Bumble.
"Me too," said Oliver. "Forgiving makes everything feel warm again."
The snow glowed softly. The castle windows twinkled like tiny stars. Oliver yawned a big, slow yawn, and his eyes felt heavy and cozy.
"Time to go home," whispered Pip. "Thank you for building with us."
"Thank you for the cocoa," Oliver murmured. "And for being my friends."
The golden light grew softer and softer, and the snow felt like a warm blanket around him.
Then Oliver was back in his own pillow fort, snug and warm. Mom had tucked him in his bed, with his favorite blanket pulled up to his chin. His pillow felt soft as a cloud. He thought about little Pip, and fluffy Bumble, and the cocoa, and the shiny snow tower. He smiled a sleepy smile.
His eyes closed. His breathing slowed. And Oliver slept, safe and happy, dreaming of snow.
馃寵 The End 馃寵
This story was written by AI for an example child named Oliver, and it passed the same safety check every Tuck-In Tales story gets before it's sent.