“Oh!” Luna thought. She smiled and wiggled with excitement.
“I'll make paper people and all kinds of paper things!”
“Rabbits!” she hopped and wiggled her nose. “Dinosaurs!” she growled and scratched the air. “Unicorns!” she skipped and whinnied. “Flowers and trees, and fish and everything!” she gathered what she needed and filled her room.
Luna painted flowers and drew fish. She folded up birds and cut out the animals. “Now the people,” she said. She put them together and thought, “I want you to have something special. Something like...” she spotted a mirror and the bright red ribbons in her hair. “Ribbons!” she exclaimed. She decorated each paper person with a piece of ribbon.
She played with them all until it was night-time. “Goodnight and sweet dreams,” she said, as she tucked them in. She climbed into bed and wrapped herself in her grandma's silky quilt. She smiled and whispered, “Goodnight, grandma,” and fell asleep.
That night the full moon was eclipsed. It was so dark that no one saw the cat sneak into the room. It hissed at the paper people and batted over a jar of ink. Dark, gooey blobs bubbled out. The furry figure purred and sneaked away into the darkness.
That morning Luna woke up sore. Her bed felt hard and her sheets were rough. Her pajamas crinkled when she moved. “Everything's paper!” she said. She quickly checked her quilt. Its lacy patterns felt soft in her hands. “Not paper,” she said, hugging it. She folded it carefully and tucked it away.
“What else is paper?” she thought. She grabbed the doorknob, but it ripped off. “A funny trick,” she laughed. Luna pushed on the door, but the whole wall fell over! The other walls fell over and the ceiling floated away. Her eyes lit up in amazement. “Paperland!” she said.
“It's real!” Luna said, twirling in a paper field.
Cut-out animals played nearby and folded birds flew overhead. Flat fish slipped between paper waters, making them dance with color. She reached to touch a fish, but slipped. She hit the paper water with a crinkle but stayed on top. “Whoa!” she said, as she ran down the river.
She jumped off beside a cave to look inside. “Hello?” she called out. Something furry shrunk back and sneaked away into the darkness. “I wouldn't go in there,” a friendly voice said. Luna turned toward the voice. “Oh, it's you,” she said happily. It was Adam, the one with the ribbon in his hat. “Have we met?” he asked politely. Luna giggled at the question. “I'm–” but she was cut off by a cry for help.
They rushed over toward the sound. A dark, gooey blob surrounded some
paper people. “The Ink!” Adam cried. The blob popped at the people, staining them with thick goop. Luna ran and reached out over the Ink. “Jump!” she said. They leaped into her arms. They all ran away, but it followed them. “We have to stop it!” Luna said. It was getting closer. “Let's make a wall.” They tore up pieces of Paperland and held them in place. The Ink moved quickly towards them.
“We should run away,” Luna thought, “but we need to hold the wall.” She looked at the stains on the people and cringed. “I'm going to...” she stared at them struggling to hold up the wall. “I'm going to help,” she thought. She held her piece in place and waited for the Ink to hit.
The Ink splashed against the wall. “It worked!” they cheered, but the Ink began to soak in. “It's coming through,” Luna said. The wall began to bend. “It's not going to stay up.” They all ran away as the Ink knocked down the paper wall. “We need something else,” Luna said. “Ribbons?” Adam asked. “It has to be bigger,” she said. “What's big enough?” they asked.
Luna suddenly thought of the only thing that could save them.
“My quilt!” she called out. She scrunched her face at the thought of it getting dirty. “But my grandma made it,” she thought. She pictured her grandma's smiling face and she smiled too. “And she'd want me to use it now, more than ever.” Luna ran off, got her quilt and rushed back. She quickly threw the quilt over the Ink like a net. It stopped the Ink, but as it soaked it up it became completely stained.
Tears sprang to Luna's eyes. “My quilt,” she cried. The people did not see her cry, but cheered, “The Ink is gone!” Luna smiled through her tears at the paper people. She wiped the biggest tear from her cheek and let it fall onto the quilt. She shuffled toward the others to try to dance their happy dance. “Look!” Adam said, pointing at the quilt. Luna turned and looked. The whole quilt wiggled with excitement. It suddenly snapped still and the stain was gone! "Oh!" Luna gasped. She wrapped herself in the quilt and joined the happy dance.
Everyone danced and cheered until it was night-time. “Goodnight, Adam,” Luna said. Adam smiled and hugged her. “Here,” he said, taking the ribbon from his hat. He tied it into a rose and tucked it into her hair. “Thank you,” Luna said. Adam left and Luna walked back to her room and snuggled into bed. She smiled and whispered, “Goodnight, Paperland,” and fell asleep.
Luna woke up wrapped in her quilt. Her bed was comfy and her sheets were soft. She looked around her room and noticed an empty jar of ink. “That's odd.” she thought. She checked her hair for the rose. “It's gone,” she said. She checked the doorknob and pushed on the walls with all her might. “It must have been a dream,” she thought. She smiled and danced out of her room happy to be home, and did not notice that under her bed lay a beautiful rose, made entirely out of ribbon.
The End
