Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Emma who was six years old.
Emma loved her toy castle more than anything in the world. Every afternoon, she carefully placed the shiny towers on the floor of her bedroom and filled the rooms with tiny dolls. Her best friend, Lucas, often came over to play. Together they invented magical adventures about knights, dragons, and queens who lived inside the castle.
One sunny Saturday, the two friends decided to make up a story about a dragon attack. Emma prepared the castle, while Lucas pretended to be a brave knight. In his excitement, Lucas reached for one of the tallest towers. His hand slipped and—crash!—the tower collapsed. A sharp sound echoed as the plastic piece broke in two.
Emma’s eyes opened wide, and tears filled them. “You broke it!” she cried. “It was my favorite toy!”
Lucas’s face turned pale. He held the broken piece in his hand and whispered, “I’m so sorry, Emma. I didn’t mean to.”
But anger rose in Emma’s chest. Her voice trembled as she crossed her arms. “Go home, Lucas. I don’t want to play with you anymore.”
Lucas lowered his head and left silently. The room, once full of laughter, now felt painfully quiet.
That night, Emma sat alone, staring at the ruined tower. The castle seemed incomplete, but what hurt most was the absence of her best friend. The silence reminded her how much she missed Lucas’s silly jokes and his brave knight voices.
The next morning, Emma’s grandmother saw her sitting sadly by the window. “What’s wrong, dear?” she asked.
Emma explained everything. Her grandmother listened carefully and then smiled gently. “I understand you’re upset, but forgiveness is like glue—it helps put broken pieces back together. Holding on to anger only makes the crack bigger. Forgiving Lucas won’t fix your toy, but it will mend your friendship.”
Emma thought about those words all day. That night, she hugged her dolls tightly and realized her grandmother was right. A toy could be replaced or repaired, but a true friend was a far more precious gift.
The following morning, Emma gathered her courage. She carried the broken tower and walked to Lucas’s house. He was sitting on the porch, staring at his shoes.
“Lucas,” Emma said softly, “I was really upset yesterday. But I don’t want to lose my best friend. I forgive you.”
Lucas’s eyes lit up instantly. “Thank you, Emma! I thought you’d never want to see me again. Let’s fix the castle together. Maybe we can make it even better than before.”
The two friends worked side by side. With glue and colorful paper flags, they rebuilt the toy castle. When they finished, the towers stood proudly once again, decorated with cheerful flags fluttering in the air. It didn’t look exactly the same—it looked even more magical.
Emma smiled and whispered, “Grandma was right. Forgiveness really does fix more than toys.”
Lucas nodded happily. “And I’ll be more careful next time. Our castle deserves many more adventures.”
From that day on, Emma carried the lesson in her heart: forgiveness is stronger than anger. A toy may break, but the love and laughter of friendship, once healed, can last forever.
If you enjoyed Emma and the Broken Toy, discover more inspiring tales in our collection of Bedtime stories for kids
