On a soft and sleepy morning in Dream Land, Kirby woke up with a yawn so powerful it blew a small tree over. But that was normal. What was not normal was the empty spot on his bedside table where his favorite Starfluff — a tiny, glowing, jiggly friend — usually sat.
"Po-yo?" said Kirby, which in Dream Land means: "Oh dear. This is a problem."
Kirby rolled out of bed — which took three tries because he is perfectly round — and waddled into Whispy Woods. The ancient tree blinked his sleepy eyes.
"Hoo, hoo," said Whispy Woods, which in Tree means: "I saw a jiggly light float past the river around dawn."
Kirby gave a grateful bounce and off he went, leaving a trail of happy little footprints in the grass.
At the river, Kirby found a Waddle Dee sitting sadly on a rock.
"Waddle," said the Waddle Dee, which in Waddle Dee means: "I wanted to cross the river but I'm scared of the little fish."
Kirby patted his friend on the head. Then he took a deep breath, puffed up like a pink balloon, and inhaled so hard that all the water in the river lifted up in a giant wobbly tube. The fish floated past, looking very confused.
Crossing was now dry and easy. The Waddle Dee clapped.
On the other side of the river was a small volcano. It was not the scary kind. It was the kind that sneezes sparkles sometimes.
Kirby peeked inside. There, at the bottom, tangled in a twisty vine, was the Starfluff. It was trying to glow but the vine was blocking its jiggle.
"Hmm," thought Kirby. He tried reaching with his little stubby arm. Too short. He tried blowing. Too puffy.
Then he had an idea.
Kirby closed his eyes and concentrated really, really hard. He thought about the Starfluff. He thought about its happy little hum. He thought about how empty his bedside table felt without it.
A tiny spark appeared in front of him. Then a bigger one. Then the Copy Ability star dropped from nowhere — but it was a new one: Star Needle.
Kirby swallowed the star, grew a long, sparkly thread, and fished the Starfluff right out of the volcano.
It landed in his arms with a happy bling.
That night, Kirby placed the Starfluff back on his bedside table. It glowed warm and soft, filling the room with gentle light.
Outside the window, the stars over Dream Land twinkled just a little bit brighter — because one of them had come home.