The Golden Arches Disaster

Chihiro kicked the soccer ball harder than she meant to. The black and white sphere sailed through the air like a cannonball. It smashed straight through McDonald's glass doors with a tremendous crash.

"Oh no!" Chihiro gasped, watching shattered glass scatter across the sidewalk like glittering confetti.

Her mother's face turned red as a tomato. "Chihiro! How dare you destroy McDonald's! That's it! You're grounded! Grounded! Grounded for one zillion years! Go to your room right now!"

Chihiro's sneakers squeaked against the pavement as she trudged toward their house. Her father shook his head and pulled out his phone to call someone about the mess.

The walk home felt like forever.

The Scratching Sound

Chihiro stomped up the stairs to her bedroom. She slammed the door behind her and flopped onto her bed.

"One zillion years!" she groaned into her pillow.

Her room felt smaller than usual. The pink walls seemed to close in around her. She rolled over and stared at the ceiling.

A strange scratching sound came from her closet. Chihiro sat up and listened. Scratch, scratch, scratch.

She walked to the closet door and pulled it open. A small brown cricket hopped out and landed on her shoe.

"Hello there," Chihiro whispered.

The cricket chirped once, then hopped toward a stack of old boxes in the corner. Chihiro had never noticed those boxes before.