Aria and the Buddy Bench
The new park bench had a sign on it: 'Buddy Bench, sit here if you'd like a friend.' Aria liked the idea, but she had never actually used one. Today, though, the playground felt huge and noisy, and her usual friend was off school. So Aria walked over and sat down, swinging her feet that didn't quite reach the ground.
Within a heartbeat, three children appeared.
Leo wheeled up first, his chair painted with bright stars. "I'm Leo. I'm new. Want to be in our team?" Behind him stood Iris, who signed hello with quick, smiling hands, and Bo, who carried a small bag of chalk. "We're starting a chalk-mural club," Bo said. "It's our first day."
Aria's face lit up. "I love drawing!"
They rolled, walked and skipped to the big grey wall by the slide. Leo handed out chalks. Iris signed the colour she wanted, and Aria copied the sign, slowly, then with a giggle when she got it right. Bo started a long curly cloud. Aria added a ladder up to it. Leo drew a rocket. Iris painted a beaming sun, and they all signed 'sun' together, fingers spread wide like rays.
A few other children wandered over. "Can we join?" asked twins with matching dimples.
"Yes!" said all four at once. "The mural is for everyone."
By the end of break, the wall was a riot of colour: a city of clouds and rockets and many, many suns. The children stood back, chalky-handed and proud.
Ms. Park rang the bell. Aria turned to her new friends. "Same time tomorrow?"
They all nodded. Leo with a grin, Iris with a quick sign, Bo with a thumbs-up. The Buddy Bench, Aria realised, hadn't given her a friend. It had given her four. And tomorrow, maybe four more.
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