Once upon a time, in a kingdom made of metals, there lived a group of metal friends who loved to play and have fun together. There was Bronze, who was always the life of the party, Nickel, who was always up for an adventure, Chrome, who loved to shine and sparkle, Mercury, who was the fastest of them all, Iron, who was the strongest, Copper, who was always ready with a good joke, Lead, who was the calmest and wisest, Gold, who was the richest, Aluminum, who was the lightest and most flexible, and Brass, who was the brassiest of them all.

One day, the friends decided to play a game of hide and seek. They all scattered to hide, and Aluminum was the seeker. Aluminum had a hard time finding all his friends, but finally, he found everyone except for Gold. He searched high and low, but he just couldn't find him.

Just as Aluminum was about to give up, he heard a faint "clink, clink, clink" sound. He followed the sound, and finally, he found Gold, who had hidden himself inside an old piggy bank. Aluminum was so happy that he had found Gold that he gave him a big hug. But as he hugged Gold, the piggy bank broke, and all of Gold's gold coins scattered everywhere.

The friends quickly went to work to help Gold collect his coins. Iron used his strength to lift heavy rocks, Mercury used his speed to run and fetch the coins, and Bronze used his humor to make everyone laugh as they worked. In no time, they had all of Gold's coins back in the piggy bank.

Gold was so grateful to his friends that he declared that from that day on, they would all be known as the "Alloy Friends." And from then on, the Alloy Friends had many more adventures and fun times together. They all realized that it wasn't about how much money they had or how shiny they were, but it was about the love and friendship they shared that made them truly rich and valuable.

The end.

Reflections

1. Which of the Alloy Friends do you think is the bravest? Why?
2. Why do you think Aluminum had a hard time finding all his friends during the game of hide and seek?
3. Who do you think came up with the idea to call themselves the "Alloy Friends"?
4. Why do you think Gold was so grateful to his friends after they helped him collect his coins?
5. If you were a metal friend, what unique skill or trait would you bring to the group?
6. Do you think that money and material things are important, or is friendship more valuable? Why?
7. What do you think the Alloy Friends will do on their next adventure?
8. Who is your favorite character in the story and why?