GEM

A magical tale of friendship and courage

In a quiet village nestled among green hills, there lived four best friends. One sunny afternoon, they decided to play a game of hide and seek. Laughter filled the air as they scattered in all directions, trying to find the perfect hiding spots.

One of the boys spotted an old tunnel and crawled inside. As he explored the dim space, something caught his eye — a wooden box, dusty and ancient, almost glowing in the dark. It looked like an antique. Excitedly, he grabbed it and ran out to show his friends.

Everyone gathered around the mysterious box, eager to know what was inside. But it was locked tight. They tried every way they could to open it — pulling, twisting, even knocking it — but nothing worked. Frustrated, one of the girls hit the box with her bare hand. Her skin scraped against the sharp wood, and a few drops of blood dripped onto the carved heart-shaped symbol on the lid.

Suddenly, the heart absorbed the blood — and click! — the box sprang open.

Inside was a purple gem, glowing and sparkling with a strange energy. Mesmerized, the four friends placed their hands on it. In an instant, they vanished — pulled inside the gem itself.

When they opened their eyes, they found themselves in a completely different world — vibrant, magical, and unlike anything they had ever seen. This was Gemenia.

And there, to their shock, stood a hippopotamus wearing a crown, a pink frock, and lipstick. She looked royal, and oddly… friendly.

“Welcome to Gemenia — the land of hidden adventures!” she said with a smile.

The children blinked in confusion. “What is this place? How did we get here?”

The hippo queen explained, “Long ago, a powerful and evil monster was causing destruction on Earth. The gods, enraged, trapped him inside this gem and banished him here. But this world — Gemenia — is also home to us, his descendants. Don’t worry though, we’re not like him. We’re good monsters.”

The friends listened carefully as she continued, “The curse of the monster still lingers. If anyone looks directly into his eyes, they’ll die. He must be destroyed — but not with weapons. There’s only one way to defeat him… by showing him his own reflection. That’s the only thing that can burn him.”

“But… he’s too huge,” the friends said. “We don’t have a mirror that big!”

They thought hard — and came up with a clever plan.

They ran up to the monster and teased him, poking and taunting until he began to chase them. The monster thundered behind them, roaring with rage. Just as they reached a large waterfall with crystal-clear water, the friends stopped.

The monster followed — and looked straight into the waterfall. It was like a giant mirror. In that moment, the monster saw his own reflection.

FWOOSH!

With a flash of light and fire, the curse was broken. The monster was destroyed.

Gemenia celebrated. The monsters rejoiced, cheering and dancing in gratitude.

As a reward, the hippo queen gave the purple gem back to the children. “This gem will now be your key,” she said. “Whenever you wish to return to Gemenia, it will bring you back.”

With a bright light, the children were transported home — hearts full of wonder, and minds dreaming of their next adventure.