The next morning, the kettle sat on the kitchen counter, gleaming bright. Lily and Tom couldn't stop thinking about the tiny puff of steam. 'Perhaps it was just a bit of water,' Mother had said, but the children felt it was something more.
After their breakfast of warm, crusty toast and plum jam, Lily decided to try an experiment. She poked the kettle gently. 'Hello, kettle,' she whispered. Nothing happened. Tom tried. 'You're a very pretty kettle,' he declared loudly. Still, nothing.
They tried all sorts of words. 'Shiny!' 'Round!' 'Kettle, please make tea!' But the kettle remained perfectly still and quiet, just a nice brass kettle, waiting patiently. Their hearts were a little disappointed, but not for long, as new adventures were always just around the corner.
Later that day, Tom was drawing a fierce dragon, breathing great plumes of red fire. Lily looked over his shoulder. 'Oh, Tom, that dragon is simply wonderful!' she exclaimed, her eyes wide with admiration. 'The scales look so real, and its fire is so hot!'
And then, it happened again! Not just a puff, but a small, shimmering bubble floated from the kettle's spout. It wobbled like a jelly and sparkled with all the colors of the rainbow. This time, it didn't just disappear. It floated towards Tom's little wooden soldier on the shelf, brushed against its helmet, and made the soldier do a tiny, surprised wiggle! My word, what a sight met their eyes!