

Lily liked to play with her mom's keys. They were shiny and made a funny sound when she shook them. She knew they were important, because mom always used them to open the door and the car. But Lily did not understand why mom got angry when she hid the keys under the sofa or in the toy box.
One day, mom had to go to the store and asked Lily to stay with dad. She gave Lily a hug and said, "Be a good girl and don't touch my keys, okay?" Lily nodded, but she really wanted to play with the keys. She saw them on the table and thought mom would not notice if she took them for a little while.
She grabbed the keys and ran to her room. She pretended they were a necklace and a bracelet and a magic wand. She had so much fun that she forgot about mom and dad. She put the keys under her pillow and went to play with her dolls.
Soon, mom came back from the store. She looked for her keys on the table, but they were not there. She asked dad, but he did not know where they were. She asked Lily, but Lily did not answer. She just smiled and said, "I love you, mom."
Mom was very worried. She needed the keys to go to work and to pick up Lily's brother from school. She searched the whole house, but she could not find the keys. She was about to cry, when she saw something bright under Lily's pillow. It was the keys!
Mom was very happy and relieved. She hugged Lily and said, "Thank you, sweetie, for finding my keys. But please, don't play with them again. They are not toys, they are very important. Do you understand?"
Lily nodded, but she did not really understand. She just wanted to make mom happy. She thought the keys were fun and pretty. She wondered why mom needed them so much. Maybe someday, when she was older, she would understand.
