It was a gray afternoon and the clouds looked like big pillows of dirty cotton. Violet was looking out the window with her little nose squished against the glass. Outside, raindrops fell lazy and slow.

"How boring!" said Violet, huffing.

In the living room, the four friends were trying to build a secret den with blankets. Alex was holding a corner of the blue blanket, Ellie was holding up a big pillow, and Laurie was trying to stick a pole under the sofa to make the roof.

"Hold it tighter!" said Laurie.

"I'm holding it super tight!" answered Alex, hopping on tiptoes.

But the blanket slipped and everything collapsed on top of them. They all laughed together, rolling on the soft carpet.

Dad Luke, Violet's daddy with his glasses and curly hair, peeked out from the kitchen. "Everything okay little builders?"

"Yes daddy!" answered Violet with her determined little voice. "We're making a den but it won't stay up!"

Right at that moment, a strange sound came from the garden.

"CHUFF CHUFF!"

The children looked at each other with wide eyes.

"The little train!" shouted Alex, running toward the door.

"Toby!" said Ellie with a smile.

In the wet garden, among the puddles shiny like mirrors, there he was: Toby the Magic Train. He was red and golden, with smoke coming out of his chimney forming little star-shaped clouds.

Toby the Magic Train puffed and said in a cheerful voice:

"Hello children, nice to meet, today you're in for a treat! Let's climb up through branches and leaves, where the snow melts hearts and believes!"

"Where are we going?" asked Violet, who always wanted to know everything.

But Toby the Magic Train just whistled and opened his colorful little doors.

The four friends climbed on quickly. The little train took off, flying over houses, over meadows, over hills. The gray rain disappeared and in its place appeared white snowflakes that danced in the air like little ballerinas.

"Look!" said Ellie pointing out the window. "The snowflakes are dancing!"

The snowflakes twirled up and down before gently landing on the tree branches.

Toby the Magic Train slowed down. In front of them was the biggest tree they had ever seen. It was very tall, with a trunk as wide as a house and branches that looked like enormous arms. And among those branches, built with light wood and round little windows, was a cozy little house.

"A treehouse!" exclaimed Laurie.

The little train stopped on a branch as thick as a road. The children got off and walked slowly toward the little house. Snowflakes landed on their little coats.

Violet knocked on the little door with her determined fist.

No answer.

She knocked again, harder.

A strange noise was heard: "Zzzzz... mmmh... zzzzz..."

Alex pushed the door, which opened with a creak.

Inside the little house there was a sofa made of soft leaves, a stove that sent out a nice warmth, and in a corner, curled up like a ball of gray fur, someone was sleeping.

"What's that?" whispered Ellie.

Violet approached on tiptoe.

It was a koala. A koala is an animal that lives in trees, has soft gray fur, a big black nose, and fuzzy ears. Koalas sleep a lot, almost all day long!

This koala had a checkered blanket clutched between his paws and smelled of eucalyptus leaves, a fresh scent like mint.

"Hey!" said Violet in a loud voice. "Wake up!"

The koala opened one eye. Then closed it again. Then yawned so big that all his little teeth could be seen.

"Mmmh... who's disturbing me?" he grumbled in a sleep-filled voice.

"We're Violet, Alex, Ellie, and Laurie!" said Violet. "And who are you?"

The koala stretched slowly. "I'm Gus. And I'm very... drowsyish."

The children looked at each other confused.

"Drowsy-what?" asked Laurie.

Gus yawned again. "Drowsyish. It means I'm very very sleepy. Always."

"Oh!" said Alex. "Like when at night I can't keep my eyes open!"

"Exactly, little one," answered Gus, scratching his round tummy.

Right at that moment, from the window of the little house, angry voices could be heard.

"I don't want to see you anymore!"

"And I don't want to talk to you!"

The children ran to the window. On a nearby branch there were two squirrels. One had a red tail and the other a brown tail. They had their backs turned to each other and their little paws crossed.

"What's happening?" asked Violet.

The red squirrel pointed his finger at the brown one. "Rusty ate MY acorn! It was my favorite!"

"That's not true!" answered the brown one, whose name was Hazel. "It was in my hiding spot!"

"Liar!"

"You're the liar!"

And they turned away again, huffing.

Gus the koala huffed too, but from sleepiness. "Those two have been fighting since this morning. I couldn't sleep well. Too much noise."

Violet looked at the two squirrels with her blue eyes. "We have to help them make peace!"

"But how?" asked Ellie.

Violet thought. She thought hard, with her forehead wrinkled.

"Let's go talk to them!" she said.

The children went out of the little house and walked on the thick branch toward the two squirrels. But the branch kept getting thinner. And beneath them... beneath was emptiness. Lots and lots of emptiness.

Alex looked down and felt his tummy tighten. "It's high!" he said with a trembling voice.

Laurie stopped too. "I'm scared of falling."

The wind blew and the branch swayed a little. Ellie grabbed onto Violet.

"Let's hold hands," said Violet with a determined voice. "If we're together we won't fall."

Violet took Ellie's hand. Ellie took Alex's. Alex took Laurie's.

So, in a line, with hands held tight, they walked on the branch. One step after another. Their hearts beat fast, but the warm hands of friends gave courage.

"We can do it," whispered Violet.

And they did it.

They reached the two squirrels, who looked at them surprised.

"Why are you fighting?" asked Violet.

"He took my acorn!" said Rusty.

"It was in MY hiding spot!" repeated Hazel.

Violet looked first at one, then at the other. "Did you look carefully? Maybe the acorn is still there."

The squirrels looked at each other. "No..." they admitted together.

"What if we went to look for it together?" suggested Alex.

"TOGETHER?!" said the squirrels horrified. "With him? Never!"

Right at that moment, a strong gust of wind shook the tree. A scary noise filled the air: CRACK!

A nearby branch broke and fell down into the void.

Rusty lost his balance and was about to fall! Hazel, without thinking, grabbed him by the paw and pulled him toward himself.

The two squirrels ended up on top of each other, trembling.

"You... you saved me!" said Rusty with teary eyes.

Hazel was red under his brown fur. "Well... you're my friend. Even if you're annoying."

"You're annoying too," said Rusty. But he was smiling.

The children smiled too.

"See?" said Violet. "You're different, one has a red tail and one brown. But you're still friends. And friends help each other."

The two squirrels hugged each other tight.

"Sorry about the acorn," said Hazel.

"Sorry for yelling," said Rusty.

They went together to the hiding spot and, guess what? The acorn was there! It had just rolled under a leaf.

They all laughed together.

Gus the koala, who had followed everything from the window while yawning, clapped his paws.

"Finally peace and quiet," he said happily. "Now I can sleep."

But first he pulled out from his blanket four little golden leaves. "For you," he said to the children. "Magic leaves. If you keep them under your pillow, you'll have beautiful dreams."

The children thanked Gus and hugged the two squirrels, who now walked paw in paw.

"CHUFF CHUFF!"

Toby the Magic Train was ready to leave again.

The children climbed on and waved with their little hands.

Toby the Magic Train whistled and said:

"Up in the branches you have learned, that a different friend is a gift well-earned! Hold on tight, never apart, and happiness will fill your heart!"

The little train flew over the snow, over the clouds, and brought the children back to their home garden, where the rain had stopped and the sun was peeking out.

Violet looked at her friends: Alex who was hopping, Ellie who was yawning tiredly, Laurie who was laughing.

They were all different. But they were friends. And that was beautiful.

Dad Luke opened the door. "So little adventurers? Everything okay?"

Violet ran to hug him. "Yes daddy. I understood something important today."

"What, sweetheart?"

"That someone who seems different can become the best of friends. Like Rusty and Hazel. Like us four."

Dad Luke held her tight, with his round tummy and big smile.

That evening, Violet put the golden leaf under her pillow. And she had a beautiful dream, where she, Alex, Ellie, and Laurie flew hand in hand over a giant tree, laughing together.

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**The moral of this story is:** Someone who seems different from us can become the best of friends. It doesn't matter if we have different colors, if we're tall or short, fast or slow. What matters is loving each other and helping each other, just like Rusty and Hazel did, and like Violet, Alex, Ellie, and Laurie always do!

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