It was a February morning and a light fog wrapped around the garden like a soft blanket. But the sun was already peeking out and would soon chase away all that gray mist.

Lori, Ale, Viola, and Eletta were sitting around the living room table, with their hands all sticky with glue. In front of them were colored papers, glitter, soft feathers, and ribbons of every color. They were making masks for Carnival!

"I'm making a lion!" said Ale, bouncing on his chair because he could never sit still.

"I'm making a butterfly with blue wings!" said Viola, her blue eyes sparkling as she glued a feather onto her mask.

Eletta worked quietly on her kitten mask, without saying anything, but with a sweet smile on her lips.

Lori, on the other hand, had built something special: a kite! Not a mask, but a beautiful kite made of red, yellow, and orange tissue paper, with long ribbons that looked like tails of fire.

"Look, look!" said Lori all excited, raising the kite above his head. "It's a Carnival kite! I want to fly it really high!"

Fred, Lori's dad, came over and put a hand on his shoulder. "It's beautiful, Lori. But be careful, kites fly away easily in the wind."

"Yes, Dad!" replied Lori, even though he wasn't really listening. He was too happy with his colorful kite.

Christine, Lori's mom, looked out the window. "The fog is lifting. Maybe you can play in the garden soon."

But right at that moment, from far away, came a sound that all the children knew well.

"CHUFF CHUFF!"

"The little train!" shouted Ale, jumping down from his chair.

"Toby!" said Viola clapping her hands.

Eletta got up calmly and took Viola's hand.

They all ran into the garden, where the fog had parted like a curtain, and in the middle there he was: Toby the Magic Train! He was small and round, with a funny chimney that puffed out little white clouds, and had carriages painted with all the colors of the rainbow.

"Hello children, what a lovely surprise!" said Toby in his cheerful voice. "Today the mountain awaits you up there, where the wind will carry you even higher!"

"The mountain!" exclaimed Lori, clutching his kite tightly. "Can I bring my kite?"

"Of course you can, climb aboard! The mountain sky is waiting just for you!"

The four children climbed into the colorful carriages. Lori held his kite close to his chest like a treasure.

"CHUFF CHUFF!"

Toby set off, and the world around them began to change. The houses became small, the trees turned into green patches, and then the mountains appeared: tall and majestic, with peaks that seemed to touch the clouds.

The little train stopped on a green meadow, halfway up a beautiful mountain. The sun shone brightly and warmed the children's cheeks. The wind blew gently, making the grass dance and whistling a melody through the tree branches.

"Wow!" said Ale looking around with wide eyes.

"Everything is so big!" whispered Eletta, a little intimidated.

"Look!" said Viola pointing at something.

In the middle of the meadow there was a little donkey! He was gray with a white muzzle and had two very long ears that stuck up high. Around his neck he wore a golden bell that went "ding ding" every time he moved. And around him there was a wonderful smell of fresh hay.

"A little donkey!" said Lori running toward him.

The donkey took a step back and moved his ears back and forth very quickly. He seemed a little scared.

"Don't be afraid," said Ale in a sweet voice. "We're friends!"

The donkey looked at them with his big brown eyes. "I... I'm Filbert," he said with a trembling voice. "I live here on the mountain and carry loads up and down the paths. But I confess I'm a bit timid with strangers."

"Timid?" asked Viola frowning. "What does timid mean?"

Filbert moved his ears nervously again. "Timid means I'm a little scared. Like when you walk into a dark room and don't know what's inside."

"Oh, I understand!" said Viola. "Like when I'm scared of the dark under the bed!"

"Exactly," said Filbert, and for the first time he gave a little smile. "I'm timid, but they tell me I'm also very sweet."

Lori approached the donkey and stroked his muzzle. "Hi Filbert. I'm Lori, and these are my friends. Look what I made!"

He showed the Carnival kite. The colorful ribbons fluttered in the wind.

"Oh, how wonderful!" said Filbert. "With this wind it will fly really high!"

Lori didn't wait another second. He ran across the meadow, letting out the kite string. The wind grabbed it right away and the kite rose toward the sky like a happy bird!

"It's flyiiing!" shouted Lori laughing.

The kite danced in the air, its red, yellow, and orange ribbons gleaming in the sun. It was beautiful!

But suddenly, a very strong gust of wind pulled the kite sideways. The string slipped from Lori's hands.

"No!" shouted Lori.

The kite flew away and got tangled in a tree high up, on a steep rock. The ribbons twisted among the branches and the kite stayed there, trapped.

Lori ran toward the tree, but stopped. The rock was high and seemed very difficult to climb.

"My kite," said Lori with a trembling voice. "I can't reach it."

Ale tried to jump, but it was too high.

Viola tried to climb, but the rock was too smooth.

Eletta looked up, worried.

"It's too high," said Filbert moving his ears nervously. "I can't climb, I'm afraid of heights."

Lori sat down on the ground. He felt tears stinging his eyes. "I can't do it," he said. "It's too hard. I'm too small."

His friends sat down next to him.

"Lori," said Viola in her determined voice, "you're the fastest of all of us. You run super fast!"

"But running doesn't help with climbing," said Lori sadly.

Filbert came closer and sat down next to Lori. His ears stopped moving and the bell made a gentle "ding."

"You know, Lori," said the donkey in a kind voice, "I'm afraid of many things too. I'm afraid of thunder, I'm afraid of the dark, I'm afraid of steep climbs. But every day I carry loads up the mountain anyway."

"How do you do it?" asked Lori.

"Before I start, I close my eyes and tell myself: 'Filbert, you can do it.' And you know what? When I believe I can do it, my legs become stronger. It's like magic!"

Lori looked at the donkey. "Really?"

"Really. If you believe you can do it, you're already halfway there."

Ale stood up. "Lori, we'll help you! I'll be your stepping stone!"

Viola nodded with determination. "And I'll hold you steady!"

Eletta smiled and said in her calm voice: "And I'll wait here to hug you when you come down."

Lori got up slowly. He looked at the tree. He looked at his friends. He looked at Filbert.

He closed his eyes and whispered: "I can do it."

He opened them again and felt something warm in his chest. It was courage!

Ale stood against the rock and Lori climbed onto his shoulders. Viola held Ale's legs steady. Lori stretched up and grabbed a ledge on the rock.

His heart was beating fast.

He pulled himself up, inch by inch. His arms hurt, but he didn't stop.

"Go Lori!" his friends shouted from below.

"You can do it!" said Filbert, and his bell rang as if cheering him on.

Lori reached the tree. The branches were full of leaves and the kite was tangled right there, within reach!

Carefully, he untangled the ribbons from the branches. The kite was a little crumpled, but it was still beautiful.

"I got it!" shouted Lori raising the kite toward the sky.

"Hooray!" everyone shouted from below.

Lori climbed down carefully, holding the kite tight. When he touched the ground, Eletta hugged him tight just as she had promised. Then Ale, then Viola.

Filbert also came close and rubbed his muzzle against Lori's shoulder.

"You did it," said the donkey. "You found the courage inside yourself."

Lori smiled, the biggest smile ever. "Thank you Filbert. And thank you friends!"

Together, they returned to the meadow. Lori flew the kite again, but this time he held the string very tight. The kite danced in the blue sky, and the ribbons looked like Carnival streamers waving to the clouds.

"CHUFF CHUFF!"

It was Toby! The magic train had returned to take them home.

"Climb aboard, Lori, with your heart full of daring! The courage you've found will never stop caring!"

Lori hugged Filbert. "Will we see each other again?"

"Whenever you want, little brave one," said the donkey. "And remember: always believe in yourself."

The children climbed onto the train. Lori's kite waved from the window as Toby set off again.

"CHUFF CHUFF!"

The return journey was quick. When they arrived in the garden, the afternoon sun was tinting everything orange.

Fred and Christine were waiting at the door.

"Lori!" said Christine hugging him. "How did it go?"

"Mom, Dad!" said Lori all excited. "I flew my kite really high! And when it got tangled, I found my courage and climbed up to get it by myself! Well, with help from my friends!"

Fred smiled and ruffled his hair. "I'm proud of you, champ."

That evening, as the sun set, the four children finished their Carnival masks. And Lori added something special to his: a little piece of red ribbon taken from the kite.

"So I always remember," said Lori, "that if I believe I can do it, I'm already halfway there!"

And everyone smiled, because they had learned something important that day: courage isn't about not being afraid. Courage is being afraid and trying anyway.

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**The moral of this story is:**

Sometimes things seem too difficult, like a rock too high to climb. But if you believe in yourself and tell yourself "I can do it," your heart becomes stronger and your arms become braver. Remember: if you believe you can do it, you're already halfway there! And if you have friends who help you, the other half becomes super easy!

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