A Rainy Afternoon

It is a dark afternoon. Rain falls on the window. Tom and Lily look out at the street. They want to play outside, but they cannot. The rain is cold and the wind blows.

"This is bad," Tom says. "We cannot go outside."

Lily sits on the floor. She is sad too. They have no game to play. The room is dark and quiet.

Then Lily has an idea. "Let us build a ship," she says. Tom smiles. It is a good idea.

They take a big box and two seats. They put the box in the middle of the room. Tom finds a long stick. Now the box is a ship. The floor is the sea.

"We are on the sea!" Tom says. Lily is the queen of the ship, and Tom is the king. They look out at the water. The rain is now the sea, and the wind is their friend.

They play for a long time. They tell stories about the sea. Tom sees a big fish. Lily sees a green island. They laugh and laugh.

Lily tells a story about a big wind. The wind blows and the sea is dark. But the king and the queen are strong. They are not afraid. Together, they take the ship home.

Then they take paper. They draw the ship. They draw the sea and the water. Lily paints a big sun. Tom paints the green island. They are good.

"I am happy now," Tom says. Lily smiles. "Me too. This is a good day."

Outside, the rain still falls. But inside, the room is not cold. Tom and Lily do not want to stop. They play and draw and tell more stories.

Later, their mother comes home. "What a cold day," she says. "Were you sad?"

"No!" they say. "It was the best afternoon."

The rain was cold and dark, but the day was good. Tom and Lily made a ship, a game, and many stories. It was their best afternoon.