Loud, excited, and bubbly. That is who Yuqin is.

    Quiet, nervous, and timid. That is who Toby is.

    They are opposites, but they are also best friends. Yuqin and Toby have been friends since they were two years old, and they do everything together. They are opposites, but they balance each other out. That's why they are best friends!

Exposition

    Now, Yuqin and Toby are six years old, and they stand outside the classroom door together. Today is the first day of first grade! Together, the two girls open the door to their new classroom.There are a lot of other students inside. Yuqin guides Toby to two empty desks and puts down her backpack.

    While Yuqin looks around the classroom with a smile, Toby stares at her desk with a sad face.

    Yuqin notices her best friend looks upset, so she turns to comfort her. She is about to say something, but a girl’s voice interrupts her.

    “I love your backpack!”

    Two girls stand next to her desk looking at her backpack.They both ask, “What’s your name?”

    Yuqin beams, excited to talk to someone new. “My name is Yuqin! Are you two in this class, too?”

    Toby watches Yuqin talk to the two girls without saying a word. She feels sad that her best friend isn’t talking to her, but she doesn’t want to stop her from making new friends.

    During the next few days, Yuqin has made even more friends in their classroom. The other kids think she is funny and friendly. Yuqin is having the best time of her life, but she talks to Toby less and less.

    One day, when Toby is sitting at her desk alone, she hears her classmates next to her talking. They talk about a lantern festival on Friday! “Everybody can release a lantern with one partner! We should go!”

    Toby loves lanterns! It would be fun if she went to the festival and released a lantern with Yuqin.    

Rising Action

    She walks to Yuqin, who is talking to her other friends. “Yuqin, let’s go to the lantern festival on Friday together!”

    Toby’s smile drops when Yuqin turns around with a wince and says, “Sorry, Toby. Three other people already asked me to go!”

    Toby stares at Yuqin for a moment before getting upset and running off. Yuqin watches her run off, but she’s confused. Why would Toby be upset?

    Yuqin usually walks home with Toby afterschool, but this day, she walks by herself. On her way home, she passes by the temple. A monk watering the plants looks up and smiles at Yuqin.

    Yuqin bows, “Hello Ajahn Anong!”

    “Good afternoon Yuqin!” He looks to the left and right of the schoolgirl. “Where is your friend, Toby?”

    Yuqin rubs the back of her neck and says, “Well, she was upset today. She ran off, so I’m walking home by myself.”

    Ajahn Anong says, “That is unlike Toby! Why was she upset?”

    Yuqin tells the monk everything. After she finishes her story, he strokes his chin thoughtfully. Ajahn Anong tells her, “Well, in Buddhism, a true friend is one that will always be there, no matter the story (“A Buddhist View on Friendship)."

    Yuqin frowns, “But I don’t know why she is upset!”

    Ajahn Anong responds, “Have you asked her why?” Yuqin shakes her head. He continues, “Buddha teaches us that friendship is everything in our lives (Tricycle). We cannot live without friends, Yuqin. A true friend is also a good listener (Fronsdal). Listen to Toby, and she will feel better.”

    Yuqin nods at the monk, “I will. Thank you, Ajahn Anong! Have a good day!” They bow goodbye, and she walks the rest of the way home.

    The next day, Yuqin’s teacher, Ms. Samra, pulls her aside. “Yuqin, Toby has been pretty down lately? Do you happen to know why?”

    “No, she hasn’t talked to me,” Yuqin shrugs.

    Ms. Samra bends down to her level. “Well, maybe she feels lonely. I noticed you made new friends!” Yuqin nods proudly. “That’s great, but Toby might be feeling left out. In Islam, we believe true friends are hard to find and walk beside you (Khan). Allah tells us that our true friends are found through destiny and are irreplaceable (Truth Seeker Staff)."

    As Ms. Samra pats her back and walks away, Yuqin turns to look at Toby.  at Toby’s sad face, Yuqi realizes she has barely spoken to her friend. Instead, she got caught up hanging out with her new friends without including Toby. 

    She needs to fix things!

    The day of the lantern festival has come!

    Colorful booths and lights line the street. Yuqin walks through the festival with her other friends, but she can only think about finding Toby. She thinks of different ways she can make it up to her best friend. Maybe she can buy her a gift first! Yuqin stumbles upon a jewelry booth.

    The women running the booth looked down and smiled. “Hello, my name is Nino. Can I help you find something?”

    Yuqin says, “I’m looking for something to give to my friend. I accidentally hurt her feelings so I want to apologize with a gift.”