Once upon a time, in a town painted with candy colors, there was a very special place. It was the Last Bookstore in the whole wide world. The walls were purple like grapes. The ceiling was blue like the sky.
It smelled like hot cocoa and old paper. Sage owned the shop. Sage was a kind person with a fluffy white beard and a smile that sparkled like stars. Sage loved every single book.
'Every book is a friend,'Sage would say with a happy voice. One sunny morning, a big shiny car drove up to the door. Zoom! Zoom!
It stopped with a loud screech. Eeeek! Out stepped Mr. Glitch.
Mr. Glitch was a tech mogul. That means he loved computers, phones, and robots very much. He did not like paper books at all.
He wore a shiny silver suit and glasses that flashed blue lights. Beep! Boop! 'Hello, Sage!
'said Mr. Glitch. 'I want to buy this shop! I will take all these dusty books away.
I will turn this into a big screen store! 'Sage felt sad. Sage hugged a big green book close. 'Oh no,'said Sage softly.
'The children love these stories. Please do not take them. 'Mr. Glitch wanted the shop very badly.
He wanted to be the richest person in the town. He thought of a tricky plan. He decided to tell a lie. 'I promise I will keep the books,'Mr.
Glitch said with a fake smile. 'I will take good care of them. Cross my heart. 'Sage looked at Mr.
Glitch. 'Are you telling the truth? 'Sage asked gently. 'Yes, yes, yes!
'said Mr. Glitch quickly. But inside, Mr. Glitch was thinking,'I will throw them in the trash!
'Can you guess what happens when you lie in a magic bookstore? Sage handed Mr. Glitch a big red book. 'Please, read this one page first,'Sage said.
Mr. Glitch opened the book. Whoosh! Suddenly, golden letters flew out of the pages!
They swirled around Mr. Glitch like a tornado. Swish! Swirl!
The letters formed a picture in the air. It showed Mr. Glitch throwing the books into a big garbage truck! 'Hey!
'yelled Mr. Glitch. 'That is not what I said! 'The books on the shelves started to wiggle.
They knew Mr. Glitch was lying. A blue book jumped off the shelf. Thump!
Then a yellow book jumped. Thump! Then a green book jumped.
Thump! 'We do not like fibs! 'whispered the books. 'No fibs!
No fibs! 'Mr. Glitch was scared. His blue glasses flashed red lights.
Oh no! 'Please, make it stop! 'Mr. Glitch cried.
'I am scared! 'Sage stepped forward gently. 'The books know the truth,'Sage said. 'Magic only works when you are honest.
Tell us what you really want to do. 'Mr. Glitch looked at his shoes. He felt very hot in the face.
He took a deep breath. 'Okay,'said Mr. Glitch quietly. 'I was lying.
I was going to throw the books away. I just wanted the money. I am sorry I lied. 'As soon as he said the truth, the golden letters stopped swirling.
They floated down softly like feathers. Flutter, flutter. The red book closed with a soft snap. Click.
Sage smiled a big warm smile. 'Thank you for being honest, Mr. Glitch. That was very brave.
'Mr. Glitch sat down on a fluffy beanbag chair. He picked up the red book again. 'I have never read a book,'Mr.
Glitch said. 'I only look at screens. 'Sage sat next to him.
'Would you like to try? 'Mr. Glitch started to read. His eyes got wide.
'Wow! This dragon can fly! Whoosh! 'Mr.
Glitch laughed. He laughed so hard his glasses fell off. Clang! He realized that stories were better than cold screens.
They made him feel happy inside. 'I will not buy the shop,'said Mr. Glitch. 'I will come here and read instead.
And I will always tell the truth. 'Sage clapped hands. Clap, clap, clap! And so, the Last Bookstore stayed open.
Mr. Glitch visited every day to read. And every time he told the truth, the books would wiggle their pages with joy. Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle!