Tara was a bubbly 7-year-old with two bouncy ponytails and a head full of dreams. She loved painting rainbows, dancing to silly songs, and chatting with her best friend during lunch.
But there was one thing Tara didn’t like at all—packing her school bag.
“Can’t I just do it in the morning? It’s not that hard!” she huffed one evening.
Her mom gave her a look. “Like you remembered your water bottle yesterday?”
“That was only once!” Tara grinned.
Her elder sister peeked from the couch. “Nope. That was twice this week.”
“Okay, okayyy,” Tara muttered. “I’ll do it tomorrow. I’m sleepy now.”
The next day was a BIG day.
Show and Tell Day!
All week long, Tara had counted down the days with excitement buzzing in her belly. She was going to show her amazing seashell collection—shiny, swirly shells she’d collected from the beach with Grandpa.
She’d stood in front of her mirror, pretending the shampoo bottles were her audience:
“This sparkly one looks like a unicorn horn!”
“And this one? It makes a whistle sound when I blow into it!”
But the morning was a blur of rushing around.
“Tara, brush your teeth!”
“Eat your toast!”
“Where’s your shoe?!”
In the rush, Tara zoomed out the door—without her seashells.
At school, Tara's name was called. Her heart sank as she rose from her seat and made her way to the front—her hands as empty as the space in her bag where the seashells should have been.
“I was going to bring my seashells,” she mumbled, “but I… forgot them.”
The room was quiet. A few classmates whispered. Tara felt her cheeks turn hot.
That night, Tara collapsed onto her bed, the weight of the day sinking her into the soft pillow as a heavy sigh escaped her lips. She grabbed her favorite pencil and started drawing a picture of her favorite seashell. The pencil slowly moved out of her hand, and Tara’s mind drifted away from the embarrassment of the day.
The pencil had wings.
Suddenly, the wings on the pencil fluttered. Frrrrt!
Tara jumped.
Then… the pencil spoke.
“Don’t be sad, Tara,” said a tiny, squeaky voice. “I’m Whizzy. Your magical pencil!”
“AHH!” Tara squealed. “You talk?!”
“Yes! And I’m here to help! Packing your bag doesn’t have to be boring—it can be an adventure.”
“Really?” Tara asked, wide-eyed.
“Really really,” said Whizzy. “We’ll do the Super Packing Challenge every night!”
From that day, Tara and Whizzy became a team.
“Lunchbox?”
“Check!”
“Water bottle?”
“Double check!”
“Anything special for tomorrow?”
“TRIPLE CHECK!”
Packing became a fun little game.
But one night, Whizzy didn’t talk.
“Whizzy?” Tara whispered. “Hello?”
No flutter. No squeak.
Tara stared at her pencil sadly. “Did your magic run out?”
Then she smiled to herself. “That’s okay. I remember the list now!”
With a spark of determination, she snatched her crayons and, in a flurry of color, began to create her own chart:
Tara’s Super Packing List!
With pictures of everything she needed.
From then on, she packed her bag every night—all by herself.
A few weeks later, it was another Show and Tell Day. This time, Tara brought her seashells. She stood proudly in front of the class and told her story, shining bright like a star.
And in her pencil pouch, Whizzy wiggled his wings just a little… proud and quiet.