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One day 7 year old Emily Dawn Clearwater went to the carnival and won a doll. She was so happy that when she got home she held onto it like it was a diamond.

Later, at dinner Emily was still with the doll. She even gave it a fork to eat with food on it!

Even when she was getting ready for bed she was still with the doll!

But as Emily drifted off to sleep, something strange happened. The doll glowed!

As the doll glowed a portal appeared and the doll went inside.

As the doll went inside someone shouted " Clover you made it!"

"Clover, you have no idea what Maya did today! She decided I was a brave knight defending a castle, so she put me on the back of her pet golden retriever and made us gallop all across the living room carpet! I was hanging on for dear life by my tiara. Then, she tried to feed me a microscopic piece of real broccoli at dinner because knights need their veggies. I had to hide it under my plastic plate when she wasn't looking!"

"Oh my goodness, Lily, look at the moon—it’s sinking! The clock says it's almost morning already! If Emily wakes up and finds my bed empty, the secret is totally ruined. I have to fly back through the portal right this second. Wish me luck getting back into my toy box before her alarm goes off!"

" Goodbye, Clover! Come back tomorrow night and tell me everything!"

Clover dove through the closing portal, her fairy wings buzzing frantically as she scrambled back onto the shelf. She threw herself into her stiff, plastic doll pose just as the morning sun cracked through the window blinds. A split second later, Emily’s eyes fluttered open. Emily yawned, rubbing her eyes and looking straight at Clover. She didn't see the doll move, but she frowned, noticing that Clover’s plastic hair looked unusually messy and her tiny shoes were tossed on the floor. Emily whispered to herself, "I know I didn't leave you like that..."

Emily stared at Clover all through breakfast, barely even touching her cereal. She knew she wasn't crazy. Dolls didn't just grow messy hair overnight, and they certainly didn't kick their own shoes off. A brilliant, secret plan began to form in Emily's seven-year-old brain. Emily thought, She decided she would pretend to go to bed exactly on time. But underneath her heavy blankets, she would keep her eyes wide open, shining her pocket flashlight into the dark corners of the room until she caught the mystery in action.

At lunchtime, Emily sat across from Maya at the school cafeteria table, completely lost in thought. She was mechanically pushing a chicken nugget around her plate, her eyes staring blankly at the brick wall behind Maya’s head.

Maya waved a carrot stick right in front of Emily's face, but Emily didn't even blink.

"Earth to Emily!" Maya said, giggling as she leaned across the table. "You're totally spacing out. Your mind is somewhere completely else today. Are you thinking about a secret again?"

Emily leaned in close across the lunch table, lowering her voice to a dramatic whisper. "Maya, I’m serious. My doll, Clover, is moving when I'm asleep. This morning her hair was a total mess and her shoes were off!"

Maya’s eyes went wide with excitement. Instead of laughing, she dropped her carrot stick. "No way! You know what? My doll, Lily, had dirt on her cheek this morning, and I know I cleaned her! We have to catch them." Maya slapped her hands on the table. "I have the best idea ever. Let's ask our moms for a sleepover at your house tonight. We can stay up all night together, pretend to be asleep, and catch them both in the act!"

As the yellow school bus rumbled over the bumpy roads on the way home, Emily and Maya huddled close together in their shared seat. The roar of the engine and the loud chatter of the other kids gave them the perfect cover to whisper about their top-secret mission.

"Perfect. And once it gets dark, we'll put Clover and Bramble right in the middle of my bedroom floor, facing away from us. We'll pretend to turn off the lights and go to sleep, but we'll secretly keep our eyes open just a tiny crack. The second they start to move, we spring our trap!"

The delicious smell of cheesy homemade lasagna filled the kitchen as Friday night dinner got underway at Maya’s house. Emily and Maya sat side-by-side at the wooden dining table, kicking their feet excitedly under their chairs. Across from them sat Maya’s parents, Marcus and Sarah, while Emily’s mom, Clara, sat at the end of the table, enjoying a rare night off from cooking.

"More garlic bread, anyone?" Marcus asked with a warm grin, passing the basket across the table. He looked over at his daughter and Emily, who were whispering and giggling over a shared secret. "You two are awfully quiet over there. Are you sure you aren't plotting to stay up until midnight?"

Sarah laughed, gently nudging her husband. "Oh, let them have their fun, Marcus. It’s Friday! Though, girls, if I hear giggling past ten o'clock, I'm sending the dog in to lick you both awake."

Clara smiled, taking a sip of her water. "Honestly, Sarah, I’m just glad they're playing with their dolls so much lately. Emily has been inseparable from that little Clover doll. It reminds me of when we were kids."

Emily and Maya exchanged a quick, wide-eyed look. Emily bit her lip to keep from laughing out loud, while Maya quickly stuffed a piece of garlic bread into her mouth to hide her grin. The parents had absolutely no idea that the dolls were the exact reason for the sleepover.

After dinner wrapped up, Emily’s mom, Clara, stood by the front door, pulling on her coat, saying, "Thank you so much for having her tonight, Sarah," with a warm smile before blowing Emily a quick kiss, telling her to be on her best behavior, and stepping out into the crisp Friday night air, which left the girls upstairs in Maya's bedroom listening intently as the front door clicked shut and a few minutes later, the heavy footsteps of Maya's parents echoed down the hallway toward the master bedroom as Marcus called out, "Alright, girls! Lights out in five minutes! We are heading to bed. Sleep tight!" before the floorboards groaned as Maya’s parents finally settled into their room, followed by the definitive click of their bedroom door closing, making the house fall completely silent until Maya turned to Emily, her eyes flashing with excitement in the dim light because the adults were officially asleep, and the midnight stakeout was about to begin.

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"The Midnight Portal in the Playroom"

Anne Forteh

The Midnight Portal in the Playroom is a whimsical and fast-paced fantasy adventure perfect for young readers who love secrets, magic, and the hidden lives of toys.
Seven-year-old Emily Dawn Clearwater is a perfectly ordinary girl with bright blonde hair and a knack for noticing tiny details. When she realizes her favorite doll, Clover, is mysteriously moving on her own, Emily teams up with her neighborhood friend, Maya, to solve the mystery. After a Friday night family dinner, the girls execute a clever midnight stakeout, fake sleeping in their sleeping bags to catch their toys in the act.
Will their master plan backfire and land them in big trouble, or will they succeed in uncovering a secret more magical than they ever could have imagined?

(55 pages)

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