Once upon a time, in a school where the walls were painted as red as ripe apples and the roof was as blue as the sky, there lived a little boy named Kai. Kai was not just any boy. Kai was a reporter! He wore a big blue hat that was just a little bit too big for him.
It slid down over his eyes sometimes. Peek-a-boo! He carried a small notebook and a shiny yellow whistle that hung around his neck on a long string. Click-clack, click-clack went his shoes as he walked.
Kai loved his job. His job was to watch, to listen, and to tell the truth. He looked for happy news. He looked for funny news.
And sometimes, just sometimes, he looked for very important news. One sunny morning, the school playground was buzzing like a beehive. Bzzz! Bzzz!
The children were running and jumping. Why were they so happy? Because Principal Pumble, the kind school admin, had set up a giant, bouncy, yellow slide in the middle of the playground. It was the biggest slide ever!
It went up, up, up! Zoom! went the children down the slide. Wheee!
they shouted. Splash! they landed on the soft mats. Kai stood near the slide.
He held his pencil over his notebook. He wanted to write a story about the fun. But then, he saw something.
He looked closely. He squinted his eyes. Squint, squint. Oh no!
At the very top of the slide, right where the ladder steps were, there was a loose screw. It was sticking out! It looked sharp and pointy. If a child ran too fast, bump!
They could get a big ouchie. Kai felt his tummy go flip-flop. Flip-flop, flip-flop. What should he do?
He looked at the children. They were so happy. Yay! Yay!
they cheered. They were having the best time. He looked at Principal Pumble. Principal Pumble was sitting on a bench, eating a shiny red apple.
Crunch, crunch, crunch. He was smiling, but he did not see the sharp screw. Kai thought very hard. If I tell them, the fun will stop.
The music will stop. The children will be sad. They might say, Oh Kai, why did you stop the fun? That was a scary thought.
A very scary thought. Kai put his hand on his yellow whistle. It felt cold and smooth. He took a deep breath in.
Whoosh. He let it out. Haaa. Can you guess what Kai was thinking?
He was feeling a big feeling. He wanted to be a good friend, but he did not want to ruin the day. This was a hard choice! Kai looked at the sharp screw again.
It wiggled in the wind. Wiggle, wiggle. Then he saw little Timmy.
Timmy was the smallest boy in school. Timmy was running toward the ladder. Zoom! Zoom!
Timmy shouted. He was going so fast! Kai's heart beat fast. Thump, thump, thump.
He knew what a brave reporter had to do. A brave reporter tells the truth to keep friends safe. Even if it is scary. Even if friends are sad for a minute.
Being safe is more important than being fast. Kai closed his eyes tight. He grabbed his whistle. He blew as hard as he could.
TWEET! TWEET! TWEET! The sound was loud.
It pierced the air like a little bird singing a loud song. The children stopped running. They looked at Kai with wide eyes. Principal Pumble dropped his apple.
Oh my! he said. Kai ran to the Principal. Mr.
Pumble! Mr. Pumble! he said.
There is a boo-boo on the slide! A sharp screw! It is not safe! Principal Pumble looked at Kai.
He did not look mad. He looked proud. He walked to the ladder. He saw the screw.
Oh my goodness, said the Principal. You are right, Kai. That is dangerous. Thank you for telling me.
Principal Pumble took out a tool from his pocket. Click, click, bang. He fixed the screw. He made it safe and flat.
All done, he said. Safe as can be. The children looked at Kai. They were not mad.
They were happy. Thank you, Kai! said Timmy. You saved my toe!
You are a superhero! said the other children. Kai smiled a big, wide smile. It stretched from ear to ear.
He wrote in his notebook: Today, the yellow whistle saved the day. He learned that telling the truth is the best way to be a good friend. It was hard to blow the whistle. But he was brave.
And that made the school a happy, safe place for everyone. The End.