Tommy sat in his bedroom, peering out the window at the Davis' house next door. It had been a week since Lily and her family moved in, and Tommy had spent a lot of time with her. However, today he was grounded for not finishing his homework, so he couldn't go outside. Instead, he watched Lily from his window.
Lily was in her backyard, reading a book under the big oak tree. Tommy noticed she often sat there, losing herself in stories. He wondered what kind of book she was reading today.
"Probably another mystery," Tommy muttered to himself. "She loves those."
As he watched, Lily's mom came out of the house carrying a basket of laundry. She called out to Lily.
"Lily, can you help me hang up the clothes?"
Lily looked up from her book and nodded. "Sure, Mom!"
Tommy saw Lily put down her book and run over to help. They chatted as they worked, hanging up shirts and socks on the clothesline. Tommy wished he could hear what they were saying. He leaned closer to the window, straining to catch snippets of their conversation.
"Mom, do you think I can visit the library tomorrow?" Lily asked, pinning a shirt to the line.
"Of course," her mom replied. "We can go after breakfast. You need to return those books anyway."
Lily smiled. "Great! I have a list of new books I want to borrow."
Tommy chuckled. "Always thinking about books," he said to himself.
As the laundry was finished, Lily's dad came out of the house, holding a frisbee.
"Hey, who wants to play some frisbee?" he called out.
Lily and her mom both raised their hands. "Me!" they said in unison.
Tommy watched as the Davis family played frisbee together, laughing and running around the yard. It looked like so much fun. He wished he could join them, but he knew he had to stay inside.
After a while, the game ended, and Lily's parents went back inside, leaving her alone in the yard. She picked up her book again and resumed reading under the tree. Tommy decided to take a break from watching and went to get a snack.
When he returned, Lily was no longer reading. Instead, she was kneeling by a small patch of flowers, carefully examining them. Tommy wondered what she was doing. He grabbed his binoculars for a closer look.
Lily seemed to be talking to someone. Tommy adjusted the focus and saw that she was talking to a butterfly that had landed on a flower. She gently extended her hand, and the butterfly fluttered onto her finger.
"Hello, little butterfly," Lily said softly. "You're so beautiful. Do you like these flowers?"
Tommy was amazed. He had never seen someone so gentle with insects before. He continued watching as Lily carefully observed the butterfly, then let it go. It flew away, and Lily stood up, brushing off her knees.
"Time for dinner," she said to herself, and headed inside.
Tommy put down his binoculars, feeling a mix of admiration and curiosity. He liked watching Lily because she seemed to notice things that he often overlooked. She had a way of finding beauty in the simplest things.
The next day, Tommy finished his homework early, eager to go outside and see Lily. He ran over to her house and knocked on the door.
Lily answered, smiling brightly. "Hey, Tommy! Want to come in?"
"Sure," Tommy replied. "What are you up to?"
"I'm just getting ready to go to the library," Lily said. "Want to come with me?"
"Definitely!" Tommy said. "I need to get some new books too."
As they walked to the library, Tommy decided to ask Lily about the butterfly he saw her talking to.
"Hey, Lily, I saw you with that butterfly yesterday. You seemed really interested in it."
Lily nodded. "Yeah, I love butterflies. They're so delicate and beautiful. I like to watch them and see where they go."
"That's cool," Tommy said. "You always seem to notice things that most people don't."
Lily smiled. "Thanks, Tommy. I guess I just like to take my time and really see things. There's so much to discover if you just look closely."
Tommy thought about this as they entered the library. He realized that he often rushed through things without really paying attention. Maybe he could learn something from Lily.
Inside the library, they went to the children's section and started browsing. Lily picked up a book about insects and showed it to Tommy.
"Look, this book has a whole section on butterflies," she said excitedly. "You should read it. It's really interesting."
Tommy took the book and flipped through it. "Thanks, Lily. I'll check it out."
They spent the next hour reading and picking out books. Tommy noticed that Lily's selections were mostly mysteries and nature books. He picked out a few adventure stories and a book about space.
As they checked out their books, Lily looked at Tommy and smiled. "I'm glad you came with me, Tommy. It's always more fun with a friend."
"Me too," Tommy replied. "And thanks for the book recommendation. I'll read it tonight."
When they got back home, Tommy and Lily sat under the oak tree in Lily's yard and started reading. Tommy opened the book about butterflies and began to learn about their different species and habits. He was surprised at how interesting it was.
After a while, Tommy put down his book and looked at Lily. "You know, Lily, I think you're right. There's a lot to discover if you just look closely."
Lily smiled. "I'm glad you think so, Tommy. It's like having little adventures every day."
They spent the rest of the afternoon reading and talking about their favorite parts of their books. Tommy felt like he was seeing the world in a new way, thanks to Lily's perspective.
As the sun began to set, Tommy realized it was time to go home. He stood up and stretched. "I should get going. Thanks for a great day, Lily."
"Anytime, Tommy," Lily replied. "Let's do it again soon."
"Definitely," Tommy said with a smile.
That night, as Tommy lay in bed, he thought about everything he had learned. He decided he would start paying more attention to the world around him, just like Lily. He knew there were many more adventures waiting for him if he just took the time to look.