

Lily and Ben were twins who liked to play in the kitchen. They had a toy stove, a toy fridge, and many toy dishes and spoons. One day, they decided to make some pretend soup with water and salt. They poured some water into a pot and added a pinch of salt. Then they looked for a teaspoon to stir the soup.
But they could not find any teaspoon. They only had forks and knives and big spoons. They asked their mom, who was reading a book in the living room.
"Mom, can we have a teaspoon, please?" Lily said.
"Sorry, sweeties, we don't have any teaspoons left. They are all in the dishwasher," mom said.
"But we need a teaspoon to make soup!" Ben said.
"Why don't you use a big spoon instead?" mom suggested.
"No, that's too big. It won't fit in the pot. And it will make too much noise," Lily said.
"Well, I'm sorry, but you'll have to wait until the dishwasher is done. Or you can play something else," mom said.
Lily and Ben were very upset. They wanted to make soup, not something else. They looked at each other and had an idea.
"Let's go to the store and buy a teaspoon!" Ben whispered.
"OK, let's go!" Lily whispered back.
They put on their shoes and coats and grabbed their piggy banks. They sneaked out of the house and walked to the corner store. They saw many things in the store: candy, toys, books, and more. But they only wanted a teaspoon. They found one that was shiny and small and perfect for soup. They took it to the cashier and paid with their coins.
"Thank you, come again!" the cashier said.
Lily and Ben were very happy. They ran back to their house with their new teaspoon. They stirred their soup and tasted it. It was delicious. They shared it with their mom, who was surprised and proud.
"Where did you get this teaspoon?" mom asked.
"We bought it at the store!" Lily and Ben said.
"You did? That's very clever of you. But next time, please ask me before you go out, OK? It's not safe to go alone," mom said.
"OK, mom. We're sorry. We just really wanted a teaspoon," Lily and Ben said.
Mom hugged them and smiled.
"I understand. You are very creative and adventurous. But you are also very young. And I love you very much," mom said.
Lily and Ben hugged her back and smiled.
"We love you too, mom. And we love our teaspoon!" they said.
