

Lily and Max were bored. They wanted to play, but it was raining outside. They could not go to the park or the zoo. They could only stay in their apartment.
"Let's imagine something fun," Lily said to Max. "Let's pretend we are in an elevator."
"An elevator?" Max asked. "What is that?"
"An elevator is a big box that moves up and down in a building. It has buttons and doors and sometimes music. It can take you to different floors," Lily explained.
"Wow, that sounds cool. How do we play?" Max said.
Lily grabbed a cardboard box from the closet. She cut out a door and some buttons. She drew numbers on the buttons. She put the box in the living room.
"This is our elevator," she said. "We can go anywhere we want. Just push a button and say where you want to go."
Max climbed into the box with Lily. He pushed a button and said, "I want to go to the moon."
The box shook and made a whooshing sound. Lily and Max pretended they were flying in space. They saw stars and planets and a big, round moon.
"We are on the moon!" Lily said. "Look, there is no air and no gravity. We can jump very high and float."
Lily and Max jumped and floated in the box. They had fun pretending they were astronauts.
They pushed another button and said, "I want to go to the jungle."
The box shook and made a roaring sound. Lily and Max pretended they were in a green and wild jungle. They saw trees and flowers and animals.
"We are in the jungle!" Max said. "Look, there is a monkey and a tiger and a snake."
Lily and Max made animal noises and swung from the vines. They had fun pretending they were explorers.
They pushed another button and said, "I want to go to the castle."
The box shook and made a trumpeting sound. Lily and Max pretended they were in a big and fancy castle. They saw towers and flags and knights.
"We are in the castle!" Lily said. "Look, there is a king and a queen and a dragon."
Lily and Max bowed and curtsied and fought the dragon. They had fun pretending they were royalty.
They played with the box for a long time. They went to many places and had many adventures. They used their imagination and had a lot of fun.
Their mom came home from work. She saw the box and the mess in the living room.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"We are playing with the elevator," Lily and Max said.
"The elevator?" mom asked.
"Yes, the elevator. It can take us anywhere we want. It is crazy," Lily and Max said.
Mom smiled and hugged them.
"That sounds like a wonderful game. I'm glad you had fun. But now it's time to clean up and have dinner," she said.
Lily and Max nodded. They put away the box and the toys. They washed their hands and sat at the table.
They told mom about their elevator game. They told her about the moon, the jungle, and the castle. They told her about the things they saw and the things they did.
Mom listened and smiled. She was proud of their imagination and creativity.
She said, "You are very clever and brave. I love you very much."
Lily and Max said, "We love you too, mom."
They ate their dinner and talked some more. They were happy and tired.
They went to bed and dreamed of their elevator game. They dreamed of new places and new adventures. They dreamed of crazy and fun things.
