

One day, Tom and Lily went to the park with their mom. They saw a big fountain with many coins in the water. Tom wanted to take some coins and put them in his pocket.
"Look, Lily, shiny pennies!" he said. "Let's get some!"
"No, Tom, we can't do that!" Lily said. "That's not nice. Mom will be angry. And the pennies are for wishes. People throw them and hope for good things."
But Tom did not listen. He ran to the fountain and reached for a penny. He did not see the sign that said "Do not touch the water".
Suddenly, a loud voice warned him. "Hey, kid, stop that! You can't take the coins! That's stealing!"
Tom was scared. He looked up and saw a man in a blue uniform. He was a guard. He had a big hat and a whistle.
"Sorry, sir, I didn't know," Tom said. He dropped the penny and ran back to Lily.
The guard followed him. He looked angry. He wanted to tell Tom's mom what he did.
But Lily was compassionate. She felt sorry for Tom. She knew he made a mistake. She did not want him to get in trouble.
"Please, sir, don't be mad at Tom," she said. "He's only three. He didn't mean to be bad. He just liked the pennies. He won't do it again. I promise."
The guard looked at Lily. He saw her big eyes and her sweet smile. He softened a bit. He decided to give Tom a chance.
"Okay, okay, I'll let it go this time," he said. "But you have to promise me something. You have to make a wish with the penny you dropped. And you have to wish for something good. Something that will make you a better person. Can you do that?"
Tom nodded. He felt ashamed. He did not want to steal anymore. He wanted to be good.
"Thank you, sir," he said. "I'm sorry. I'll make a wish."
He picked up the penny and threw it back into the fountain. He closed his eyes and wished.
"I wish I could be more like Lily," he said. "She's kind and smart and compassionate. She's the best sister ever."
Lily hugged him. She was proud of him. She loved him.
Mom came back from the bench. She did not know what happened. She saw Tom and Lily smiling.
"Did you have fun, kids?" she asked.
"Yes, mom, we did," they said.
They did not tell her about the pennies. They kept it as a secret. A secret wish.
