Julian is a boy in the Kingdom. Julian is small. Julian is brave and gentle.
One morning, Julian hears a soft “ding… ding…” and then it stops.
Julian looks around. “Where did the bell go?”
In the big castle, the King looks worried. The King is kind and a little silly. He pats his crown and says, “Oh dear. The little castle bell is missing.”
Julian walks up. “I can help,” says Julian.
The King smiles. “Thank you, Julian. That bell helps everyone know it is snack time!”
Julian nods. “Snack time is important.”
The King nods too. “Very important.”
So Julian starts to look.
He looks by the tall door. Tap tap.
He looks under the red rug. Lift lift.
No bell.
Julian goes to the garden in the Kingdom.
He sees flowers. He sees stones. He sees a sleepy cat.
“Meow?” says the cat.
“Have you seen a bell?” asks Julian.
The cat blinks. “Meow,” like maybe.
Julian listens.
He hears: “ting… ting… ting.” Very tiny.
Julian follows the sound.
Past a bush. Past a puddle. Past a shiny leaf.
Behind a bench, Julian finds a little cart.
The cart is full of spoons.
And in the spoons is the bell!
The bell is stuck.
Julian tries to pull. “Uh-oh.”
It will not move.
The King comes walking, puff puff. “Did you find it?”
Julian points. “It is stuck.”
The King leans close. “Hello, bell! Please come out.”
The bell does not come out.
Julian thinks.
Julian is clever.
He says, “We can tip the spoons, slowly.”
The King says, “Slowly is good. I once tipped soup fast. Splash!”
Julian giggles. “Slowly.”
They hold the cart.
Julian says, “One… two… three.”
They tip the spoons.
Clink clink clink.
The bell rolls out.
“Ding!”
The King claps. “Hooray! Julian, you did it!”
Julian holds the bell. It is warm from the sun.
But then a small wind whooshes.
The bell hops once.
“Boing!”
It lands in Julian’s hands again.
Julian laughs. “Silly bell.”
The King laughs too. “Very silly.”
They walk back to the castle.
Julian rings the bell.
“Ding ding ding!”
People in the Kingdom peek out.
A baker waves.
A guard waves.
The sleepy cat strolls by, proud.
The King kneels down. “Julian, brave boy, you helped the Kingdom.”
He opens a little box.
Inside is a shiny gold snack coin.
It has a star on it.
“For you,” says the King.
Julian’s eyes go wide. “Mine?”
“Yes,” says the King. “You can trade it for a honey bun.”
Julian hugs the coin.
He rings the bell one more time.
“Ding!”
The King smiles. “Snack time!”
Julian smiles. “Best time.”
And in the happy Kingdom, the bell stays safe, and Julian walks tall, with a brave heart and a shiny snack coin.