A New Friend in the Square

Sierra twirled in the cobblestone square, her yellow dress spinning like a sunflower. The ancient buildings of Rome stretched up around her, their warm stone glowing in the afternoon light.

"Mamma mia!" called Giuseppe from his little café. "You are new here, yes?"

Sierra nodded, her pink curls bouncing. "I'm Sierra! I just arrived with my family."

The old man's eyes crinkled as he smiled. "Welcome to our neighborhood! Tomorrow is our big festival. Everyone comes for the best pizza in all of Rome!"

"Pizza!" Sierra clapped her hands. "I love pizza!"

Giuseppe's face suddenly fell. "But our special oven..." He shook his head sadly. "It makes strange noises now. Clicks and clanks. Nothing comes out right anymore."

Sierra's blue eyes sparkled with curiosity as she heard odd mechanical sounds drifting from behind the café.

The Missing Pieces

Sierra followed the strange sounds behind Giuseppe's café. A woman with short gray hair knelt beside a massive pizza oven, tools scattered around her.

"The gears are completely jammed," the woman muttered. "This won't be ready for tomorrow's festival."

"Can I help?" Sierra asked.

The woman looked up, surprised. "I'm Maria, the town's fix-it expert. But this oven..." She shook her head. "It needs three special parts that broke. Without them, no pizza for the whole festival."

Sierra's eyes widened. The entire neighborhood celebration depended on this oven working.

"Where do we find the parts?" Sierra asked.

Maria pointed to different corners of Rome. "One's hidden in the old fountain. Another's with the flower vendor. The third..." She frowned. "Nobody knows."