Lily, a young ladybug, said to her father and mother, “I will return this evening.”

“What are you going to do?” asked her father.

“Give happiness to people I meet.”

Her father and mother both smiled.  They were very proud of Lily.  She said goodbye to her parents and flew high up in the air.  A northern wind caught her wings and blew her in a southward direction.

After a few hours, the wind began to slow down.  Lily’s tiny body floated toward the ground.  Below her were tall buildings, noisy cars, and people rushing up and down sidewalks. She flapped her wings and flew around the city, looking for someone who may need her help.
 
It did not take long before she saw a little boy sitting alone on the front steps of a house. He looked sad as tears rolled down his cheeks.  Lily landed on his arm.

The boy looked down at his arm and shouted, “Oh! What is this?”  He had never seen a ladybug before.  “Are you going to sting me?”
Lily said, “I am a ladybug and we do not have stingers.”

“Are…are you talking to me?”

“Well, yes,” said Lily.  “Do you see anybody else sitting here on the steps?”

“But you are a bug.  Bugs cannot talk.”

“If that is true, how can I be talking to you?”

He thought for a moment, and then said, “You are right. So, what is your name?”

“Lily.”

“Please to meet you, Lily.  I am Colton.”

“Why have you been crying?” Lily asked.

“A few days ago, my best friend moved far away.”

Lily felt sad for Colton.  “I am so sorry to hear this.”

“Thank you for caring.”

“Do you have pictures of your friend?”

“Yes,” said Colton.

“I got an idea,” said Lily.

They went into the house to Colton’s bedroom.  He found many pictures of him and his friend.  Colton spread them out on top of his bed.

“What do I do now?” said Colton.

“Get a pencil and some paper,” said Lily.  “Then write down when each picture was taken and what was happening at that time.”

“Okay.  But what will that do?”

“You will see.”

A few minutes later, a smile appeared as he wrote down the events surrounding each picture.  Laughter filled the room.  Colton’s previous tears of sadness were now tears of joy as he remembered the good times he had with his friend.

Lily spread her wings and lifted herself off Colton’s arm.  She looked back at him and smiled as she flew through an opened window.