Alison's Brilliant Bargain

Alison, with her bright, sparkly eyes and a giggle always ready to pop, was having the best playdate ever with her friend, Liam. Her playroom was a rainbow of toys: soft teddies, speedy race cars, and towers of colourful blocks.

They were building a magnificent castle for their teddy bears, their laughter echoing like happy bells. "This wall needs a super-duper, extra-long flag!" Alison declared, giggling as she balanced a long red pipe cleaner on top.

Just then, Alison spotted it – a brand-new, shimmering, rainbow-maned unicorn toy hidden under a pile of cushions. "Ooh! Look, Liam!" she squealed, diving for it.

Liam's eyes lit up too. "Wow! A Sparklehorn Unicorn! I wanted to play with that first!" he exclaimed, reaching for the same toy at the very same moment.

Their hands met on the unicorn's sparkly horn. "It's mine!" Alison insisted, pulling a little. "No, it's mine!" Liam countered, pulling back. Their voices grew louder, a little argument brewing like a fizzy drink ready to pop. "I saw it first!" "But I said it first!"

Suddenly, Alison stopped pulling. She looked at Liam, who was making a funny, scrunched-up face, almost as silly as one of hers when she was pretending to be a grumpy gnome. Then, she remembered: Liam was her best friend! They always had so much fun together. Why were they squabbling over a toy?

"Oh dear," Alison said, letting go of the unicorn and doing a quick, silly shimmy that made Liam almost giggle, despite still feeling a bit cross. "We're being a bit like two silly kangaroos fighting over the last juicy mango, aren't we?"

Liam's grumpy face softened. He knew Alison was right. "Yeah," he admitted, looking at the unicorn. "I'm sorry, Alison. I got a bit carried away."

Alison smiled warmly. "I'm sorry too, Liam. We shouldn't argue. We're friends!" She gently nudged the unicorn towards him. "How about we take turns? You can have the first five minutes, and then I'll have the next five?"

Liam's smile returned, even wider than before. "That's a brilliant bargain, Alison!" he cheered. They set a timer, and Liam had a wonderful time making Sparklehorn Unicorn gallop through their castle. When the timer buzzed, he happily handed it over.

Alison then made Sparklehorn fly all around the playroom, making silly flying noises. They giggled and played, sharing the unicorn and all their other toys, remembering that playing together, and being kind, was always the most fun game of all.