Fernando's Wobbly Tower of Truth

Fernando loved the block corner at school more than anything. It was his special kingdom, filled with smooth wooden blocks that smelled like fresh woodchips. During playtime, while other kids zipped around the playground, Fernando was a master builder. With a happy hum, he would listen to his favorite sound: *Click, clack, stack!* Today, he was building the most magnificent rocket ship tower, reaching for the bright, sunny ceiling.

His friend Chloe was building a beautiful castle right next to him. As Fernando reached for a special, sparkly blue block to be the rocket's nose cone, his elbow nudged his tower. *Wibble... wobble... CRASH!* The whole thing tumbled down. One red block flew through the air and knocked the tallest spire right off Chloe's castle. She hadn't seen it happen. She just heard the noise and saw her broken tower. "What happened?" she asked, her eyes looking sad.

Fernando's tummy felt wobbly, just like his tower had. A little voice in his head told him to just say, "I don't know!" He was worried Chloe would be upset. He looked at his messy pile of blocks, then at Chloe's sad face. The fun *click, clack, stack* sound was gone, and now there was just a quiet worry filling the air. He wanted to start rebuilding, but his hands felt heavy and his builder's hum was gone.

Then, Fernando remembered what his teacher always said: "Being honest is like the strongest block at the bottom of a tower. It makes everything sturdy." He took a little breath and walked over to Chloe. "I'm sorry," he said, his voice quiet but clear. "When my rocket fell, one of my blocks hit your castle by accident." He held out his hand. "I can help you fix it. We can use my sparkly blue block to make it even better!"

Chloe's frown turned into a small smile. "Okay!" she said. Together, they put her spire back up, adding the sparkly block right on top. *Click, clack, stack!* The happy sound was back. After they fixed her castle, Chloe helped Fernando start his rocket ship again. Fernando learned that telling the truth didn't cause a problem; it helped him build something even better than a tower—a stronger friendship.