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The Magic ofStarfire VillageKaren Clark NagyA Child's Bedtime StoryDanger is NearBooklet 10

The night was quietin Starfire Villageand the firefliesset a peaceful mood.Anabella and the otherswere tired from their journey.

Anabella was sureto dream aboutthe waterfall,singing songs,and her friendsboth old and new.

Knowing the meteor showerwas the next night,the sprites and woodlandcreatures settled downearly as the firefliesslowly dimmed their lights.

Anabella was snuggled in Snippy'ssoft fur when all of a suddenhe whispered for her to climb tothe second branch of the tree.He heard the howl of coyotesand needed her to be safein case they enteredthe village.

Snippy informed Anabellashe was about to find out whatdanger Eddie had mentioned.It was a dark night withvery little moonlight,so the firefliescame to the rescueand lit the waywhile Anabella climbed.

Snippy told her he was offto find the Snagys,explaining they would fly highto determine which directionthe coyotes were headedand then sound the alarm.Once notified, the doveswould travel throughoutthe forest warning all.

Anabella asked Snippyif his family and Sagewould be safe.He assured her he wouldcheck on them, and saidgoodbye as Sam and Sydneyscurried up the tree.

Anabella huddled next toSam and Sydneyat the same time she heardthe Admirals give a warning cry.The village came alive as everyonescrambled to find shelter.

Eddie appeared andapologized for notwarning her aboutthe coyotes sooner.He was in a hurry tocheck on their otherfriends, and askedSam and Sydneyto tell her more.

They agreed andimmediately briefedher about the packof coyotes thatlived in the forestand once tried toinvade the village.

Sam explained that thevillagers had been luckybecause Gray was there andfrightened the coyotes awaywith his ferocious growl.

Since that nightthe coyotes had never returned.Sydney told her Gray was a big blackbear that occasionally stopped by,but he hadn’t been there in a while.

Sam described how Grayhibernated in the winterbut always popped infor a visit when travelingbetween his homes.Typically, he joinedthem during the spring forthe Lyrids and fall for theLeonids,but he didn’t show uplast fall.

Sam sadly addedthat everyonehad beenconcerned,and wondered why hemissed the Leonids.

Chipper was shaking with fearand nestled next to Anabella.The coyotes sounded close.She was afraid the coyoteswould eat them allwithout Gray to protect them

AnabellasoothinglytoldChipperthatwhenevershe wasscaredher momwould singa song.

Just as the coyotesentered the village,howling with hostility,Anabella began to singa sweet lullaby to calmChipper and the others.

There were only three coyotes,although their yelpingsounded like a zillion.

Suddenly they stoppedin their tracks and looked up,surprised to see a little girl singing.

They had never been in thevillage before and wereenchanted by the magicof the fireflies andsuch a lovely song.

Anabella continued singingas she started to climbdown the tree.Sam and Sydney were in a panic,Rose frightfully fluttered about,and Chipper begged her to stay.But she said the coyoteslooked like her dog back home.As she landed on the soft grass,she stopped singing andasked if she could pet them.

By now all the sprites andwoodlanders were stunned andsure Anabella would neverget to see the Lyridsor the wedding ormake it home to her mother. Even the fireflies went dark.

Surprisingly, one of the coyotesstarted wagging his tail andtold Anabella his name was Brycebut his friends called him Dude.

He said there was chatter in the forestabout a little girl who sang sweetly,and now they knew it was trueand were honored to meet her.

Anabella sat among the coyotes,petting them and quietly talking.She told them Starfire Villagewas a unique placewhere everyone was happyand loved one another.She even shared the village rulesabout forgiveness and gratitude.The coyotes listened intently.

Finally, Bryce introduced herto Colt and Cade,the other coyotes.He proclaimed they would like to befriends, and to call him Dude!The coyotes asked to be forgivenfor scaring them.Miss Di motioned for everyoneto come out of hiding,telling them she approvedof their new friendship.The fireflies began to glow again.

Miss Di invited them to returnthe next night forthe big celebration.The coyotes startedhowling triumphantly,but Dude quickly stoppedwhen he remembered Gray.He admitted they wereterrified of him.

Miss Di was hopeful Graywould be thereand assured themhe was kind and gentle.Besides, she asserted,now that the coyoteswere blessed with the magicof Starfire VillageGray would honor the code.Dude and Colt and Cadeearnestly thanked her.

The coyotes said goodnightand ran off into the forest.Everyone was thrilled to have newfriends and thanked Anabellafor being so brave.Rose and the BFF trio were relieved.Eddie declared there wasno longer danger in the village.

Miss Di announced that the nextnight would be extraordinaryand suggested it was time for sleep.Anabella snuggled up in Snippy’s fur.Miss Di instructed the firefliesto dim the lights once more.

Anabella could barely sleep.Her mind was too busythinking about Gray andthe coyotes and the weddingand the meteor showerand her mom...

Thank you for readingThe Magic of Starfire Village.I also wish to thank my friend,Dianne McKinney Delcourt,for her editing magic!Have you ever seena firefly?

This book is dedicatedto my grandchildren,The Cool Cousin Crew:Bryce, Colt, Cade, and Sage.May you find Thankspirationin everything you do,and remember to find afirefly if you are ever in the dark.

Thankspirationis the people and thingsin our liveswe are grateful for.Dare to beextraordinaryby virtue of yourThankspiration!It's my wish for you.

If you areflipped outby my books,please makea donationso I cankeep writing!

The Magic of Starfire VillageBooklet 10Danger is NearKaren Clark NagyKC PublishingCopyright © 2022 Karen Clark NagyCOPYRIGHTCOPYRIGHT#ThankspirationAll rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced,scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic formwithout written permission from the author.

The Magic ofStarfire VillageKaren Clark Nagykc publishingF l o r i d a U S ABooklet 10