The Number Friends 

                                                       

Once upon a time, there were ten friends who lived in a town called Numberland. They were called One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine and Ten. They liked to play together and help each other with different tasks.

One day, they decided to have a picnic in the park. They packed their baskets with sandwiches, fruits, cookies and juice. They also brought some games and toys to have fun. They walked to the park and found a nice spot under a big tree. They spread a blanket on the grass and put their baskets on it. They were about to start eating when they heard a loud voice.

"Hello, number friends! I am Zero, the king of numbers. I have come to join your picnic."

They looked up and saw a big round figure floating in the air. He had a crown on his head and a scepter in his hand. He smiled at them and landed on the blanket.

The number friends were surprised and scared. They did not know who Zero was or what he wanted.

"Who are you?" asked One.
"I told you, I am Zero, the king of numbers. I rule over all the numbers in the world. You should be honored that I have come to visit you." said Zero.
"But we have never seen you before. How can you be the king of numbers?" asked Two.

"Because I am the most powerful number of all. I can make any number bigger or smaller by adding or subtracting myself from it. For example, if I add myself to you, Two, you become Twenty. If I subtract myself from you, you become nothing." said Zero.

He demonstrated his power by touching Two with his scepter. Two suddenly grew bigger and became Twenty. 

Then he touched him again and Two disappeared.

The number friends gasped in shock. They did not like what Zero did to Two.

Bring him back!" shouted Three.
"OK, OK, calm down. I was just showing you what I can do. Here he is." said Zero.
He touched the spot where Two was and Two reappeared. He was back to his normal size.
"Are you OK, Two?" asked Four.
"Yes, I'm fine. That was scary." said Two.
"See? I can do anything I want with numbers. That's why I am the king." said Zero.
"But why are you here? What do you want from us?" asked Five.
"I want to have some fun with you. You are my subjects, after all. You should entertain me." said Zero.

"What kind of fun?" asked Six.

"Well, for starters, I want to play some games with you. How about we play tic-tac-toe? It's a simple game where you have to make a line of three of your symbols on a grid of nine squares. You can use X or O as your symbols. I'll go first." said Zero.

He drew a grid on the blanket with his scepter and put an O in the center square.

"Your turn." he said to Two.

Two did not want to play with Zero, but he had no choice. He put an X in the  left middle square.

Zero put another O in the right middle square.

Two put another X in the Top middle  square.

Zero put another O in the Top Right corner.
Two realized that Zero was trying to trap him. He had no way to win or block him. He put another X in the Bottom Right square, hoping for a draw.

Zero smiled and put another O in the Bottom left  square, completing a diagonal line of three O's.
"I win!" he exclaimed.

He touched Two with his scepter and Two became Twenty.
The number friends were angry and sad. They did not like how Zero cheated and changed Two into Twenty.
"That's not fair! You tricked him!" said Seven.

"That's how I play. I always win. And when I win, I change the loser into whatever number I want." said Zero.
"That's mean! You should change him back!" said Eight.
"No way! He lost fair and square. He has to stay as Twenty until I say so." said Zero.

He looked at the other number friends and said:

"Who wants to play next?"