Korina's parents had told their daughter, time and time again to stay away from the old cupboard for her own safety as well as their's. And time and time again the rambunctious kitten ignored their warnings in favor of possible danger and adventure. It was on a warm bright May day, when Korina found something that would change both her and her parents lives forever.

"I'm done eating! Can I go play? Huh, can I?" Korina asked after finishing her very small bowl of cereal.

Her mother smiled lovingly at her daughter and nodded. "All right. Have fun. Oh, and please promise me that you'll stay out of that old cupboard. Your father and I don't want you getting hurt. Promise me."

"Yes, Mother. I won't play in the cupboard." Korina promised. "Can I go now?"

"Yes, go on. I'll call you when it's time for lunch."

As Korina scampered away from the breakfast table, she tried to decide what she would do for the day. Would she play tag? Perhaps she would play hide and go seek? But who would she play with? She didn't have any friends or brothers and sisters to play with.

The orange kitten thought, and thought, and thought some more. Suddenly she decided what she would do, she would play in the old cupboard that she wasn't supposed to play in.

As she walked over to the enormous wooden cabinet, Korina's conscience decided to speak up. "Why are you doing this? Why are you disobeying your parents again? You don't want to get in trouble do you?"

The kitten pointedly ignored the wise, and annoying, voice in her head, and opened the cupboard's door with a mischievous grin on her face. She stared in awe at the sight which greeted her: empty shelves, perfect for playing on. The mischievous kitten stepped onto the first shelf, scampered happily across it, and continued to climb the vast number of shelves like steps. She climbed, and climbed, and climbed and saw nothing in her path.

Suddenly Korina noticed something large and shiny in a corner. As she peered closely at the object she began to wonder. "What is this? Is it a hat? I've always wanted a hat!"

She quickly dismissed this idea when she placed the round shape on her head and it fell off. "I guess it's not a hat. I've always wanted a hat." Korina thought sadly.

Then her good mood returned. "I know what this is! It's a gigantic bowl!" Just then her tummy growled. "And bowls mean food. And food means that I won't be hungry anymore."

But sadly, the bowl wasn't full of food. Nothing filled its smooth and shiny depths. Nothing at all.

"I wish that this bowl was full of cream." Korina wished as she stared into the bowl. And do you know what happened? Her wish was granted! The bowl instantly filled with thick, white cream perfect for lapping up with her scratchy pink tongue.

Korina gazed in disbelief at her good luck. After a full minute or two of this she stuck her tongue into the cream and began to drink.

She drank, and drank, and drank, until not a drop of the delicious cream remained.

"This is amazing! This bowl must be magic!" Korina giggled happily. "I'm gonna go show this to Mother. She'll be so happy!"

Giggling happily as she began to climb back down the ladder of shelves Korina imagined what would happen after her parents found out about the magic bowl. Maybe they would move out of the abandoned garage and get an apartment. If they did so, then Korina would have a large circle of friends to spend her days with. And if they did not move at least they wouldn't be hungry anymore.

These happy thoughts continued to run around in her brain, when Korina fell from a shelf and the bowl shattered into a hundred pieces.

"Oh no! It's broken!" Korina wailed. "Now what am I gonna do with it?"

"Well you could fix it." her conscience suggested as though this were the most obvious answer.

Korina smiled. "You know something. That's the best idea you've had all day. But what can I fix it with?"

Korina began to dance around, hoping that this would give her some ideas. "Oh, I know! I know!" she exclaimed. "I can use tape. Lots and lots of tape."

"Sorry to burst your bubble, kid. But that's not going to work." Conscience informed her. "For one thing you'd need a whole lot of tape. And there's no way you could get enough tape to fix that bowl. Another thing, tape wouldn't hold it together. But glue might."

Korina pondered this for a moment and then grinned. "Oh, thank you Conscience!"

"No problem," Conscience droned.

"You're not that annoying after all!" the kitten complemented.

"I wish I could say the same about you." Conscience replied.

Korina chose to ignore her conscience's insult and ran to tell her mother about the magic bowl.

"Mother! Mother! You won't believe this! I've found a magic bowl!" Korina called out.

"Magic bowl? Korina, what are you talking about?" Mrs. Cat asked.

"I've found a magic bowl!" the kitten said again. "Only it broke. Will you help me glue it back together?"

Deciding to humor her daughter, Mrs. Cat went and fetched the glue from a shelf and hurried after Korina.

As they reached the cupboard Mrs. Cat frowned. "Korina, were you playing in that cupboard?"

The kitten looked down at the floor before admitting: "Yes."

"Why?" her mother wanted to know.

"Because I don't have any friends and there's nothing to do." Korina explained. "Can we please fix the bowl now?"

Mrs. Cat nodded, and soon the bowl was fixed. "Now what was this about the bowl being magic?"

"I can prove it." Korina said. "I wish this bowl was full of salmon."

And just like that, salmon appeared in the bowl.

"Sorry I didn't believe you." Mrs. Cat apologized.

"It's okay." Korina said. "Now let's eat!"

Later that night when Mr. Cat came home from work he was told the story of his daughter's truly magical day.

A few days later Korina and her family moved out of the garage and into an apartment where Korina had hope of meeting friends. And it was all thanks to the magic bowl. But why that is remains to be seen.

The End?