Once upon a time there were four good friends; two boys, Chip and Jet; and two girls, Kat and Izzy. One afternoon, the four friends were hanging out at Chip’s treehouse, which had a wall of old-looking cabinets in the large main room, when Kat noticed a cabinet in the corner that had never been opened.

It was a small cabinet with a carving of a giant flower with four petals. Chip said that he had tried to open it but it was always locked. They all stared more closely and then noticed that the petals actually appeared to be handprints. They each immediately placed their hands on the petals.

Suddenly there was a loud click and the cabinet door swung open. Inside was a small wooden box covered in letters and a handwritten note, both of which looked very old. Chip read the note out loud:

Opening the box is as simple as answering a riddle,

Inside you’ll find something big, even though the box looks little:

“What is as good to give as it is to get?”

Spread the answer to people who will never forget.

They all looked at each other deep in thought. Kat picked up the box to examine it. The top lid was covered in small wooden squares, each with a random letter on it. She pressed one with her finger and it moved down, like a keyboard. Many riddle answers were thrown out, including “toys,” “games,” “chocolate,” and “cake,” but none worked. They stared at the box in frustration without talking. Finally, after what seemed like hours, Izzy , the youngest of the kids, broke the silence by confidently uttering a single word: kindness.

The lid flew open and the treehouse was filled with a blinding light and strong gust of wind that left as quickly as it came. “I feel a little funny, but it seems like we’re all ok,” said Kat, checking to make sure they were all okay. “Yeah, that was crazy,” responded a voice from the back of the room. Kat looked behind her, but there was no one there except her dog Mighty, a small Jack Russel Terrier, staring back at her. “Did anyone else hear that?” she asked. Three shaking heads answered no. Turning back to Mighty, she asked “Did you just talk to me?” “I’ve been talking to you for like, forever.” Mighty said, “I guess this is the just the first time you understood me- Jeez!”

Turning back to her friends, Kat said, “Guys, I think this is going to get interesting!”