The light rain had just stopped falling and in Violet's garden there were lots of puddles. The four friends had put on their rubber boots and were playing a special game: jumping into the puddles making as many splashes as possible.

"Watch this!" shouted Larry, who was super fast. He took a running start and jumped into the biggest puddle. The water splashed everywhere like a crazy fountain.

"I want to try!" said Alex, all lively and smiling. He jumped too, and the splashes reached everyone's knees.

Ellen was laughing happily, but she was a bit tired because she had run a lot that afternoon. She sat down on the edge of the lawn, next to her mummy Elisa who smiled at her gently.

Violet, on the other hand, didn't want to stop. With her bright blue eyes, she looked at the puddles as if they were treasures. She was the most tenacious of the group, the one who never gave up.

"I want to find the perfect puddle!" she said with a determined voice.

Right at that moment, the sky filled with colours. The grey clouds moved away and the sun appeared between the trees. The rays of light passed through the leaves like magic wands, making the raindrops on the blades of grass sparkle.

"How beautiful!" exclaimed Alex, pointing at the sky.

And then they all heard it.

"CHUFF CHUFF!"

From the path behind the garden appeared a little cloud of coloured smoke. It was Toby the Magic Train! The little train had carriages painted red, yellow and blue, and was whistling cheerfully.

"Hello children, what a peaceful day, I'll take you where adventure comes your way!" sang Toby the Magic Train with his friendly voice.

Daddy Luke, Violet's dad with his glasses and curly hair, came closer curiously. "Where are you taking them today, little train?"

Toby the Magic Train puffed out a little blue cloud. "Among statues and flowers you'll find a friend, in the enchanted garden around the bend!"

The four children jumped onto the little carriages. Violet sat at the front, because today she felt the adventure was all for her. Alex sat next to Ellen to keep her company, and Larry sat in the last carriage, ready to watch the scenery passing by.

"CHUFF CHUFF!"

The little train set off, crossing fields full of daisies and hills as soft as Christmas cakes. After a little while, they entered a strange mist. But it wasn't a grey and sad mist. When the sun touched it, it became colourful like a rainbow!

"Ohhh!" they all said together, with their eyes wide open.

Finally Toby the Magic Train stopped in front of a big iron gate with roses drawn on it.

"We've arrived!" announced the little train.

The children got off and their jaws dropped. In front of them was the Garden of Statues. It was a wonderful place! There were statues of animals everywhere: an elephant that seemed to smile, a giraffe with a very long neck, a rabbit that was jumping, and even a dragon that blew flowers instead of fire. Among the statues grew red tulips, white daisies and fragrant roses.

"What a magical place!" whispered Ellen, who had woken up completely from the wonder.

They walked along a path of white pebbles, when they heard a sob.

"Sniff... sniff..."

Violet stopped suddenly. "Did you hear that?"

They looked around. The sobbing was coming from under a big stone mushroom. Violet bent down and saw a tiny snail, with a brown spiral shell and two little antennae that were trembling.

A snail is a little creature that always carries its little house on its back, like a backpack that never comes off. It moves slowly, leaving a shiny trail.

"Why are you crying?" asked Violet with a gentle but firm voice.

The little snail raised her antennae. She was a bit fearful, but she had a sweet little face. She smelled of strawberries, as if she had eaten lots of wild strawberries.

"My name is Jasmine," said the little snail in a tiny voice. "I've lost my way home. I was looking for a place to stay, but nobody wants me. Everyone says I'm too slow and that I take up space."

Violet felt her heart tighten. She knew what it meant when someone tells you there's no room for you.

"We'll help you!" said Violet firmly. Her blue eyes shone with determination.

"Really?" Jasmine stopped crying. "But I'm so slow..."

"It doesn't matter," said Alex, hopping on the spot. "Let's go together!"

Just as they were setting off, from behind a lion statue appeared someone very strange. He was a tall gentleman, with lots of medals hanging around his neck that jingled when he walked. He had a big smile and shiny trainers.

"Hello, young explorers!" said the gentleman. "I'm Gustav, the Champion! I've won many races, but the most precious thing isn't this gold medal."

The children looked at him curiously.

"You are truly deserving for helping this little snail!" said Gustav.

Alex tilted his head. "What does deserving mean?"

Gustav smiled. "Deserving means that you're doing something so good that you deserve a prize. You're helping Jasmine, so you're deserving, that is, good and kind!"

"Deserving," repeated Violet, to remember it.

Gustav pointed to a path that led towards a part of the garden covered in sparkling ice. "Jasmine's home is on the other side of the Frozen Lake. But there's a problem: you have to cross it by skating, and you can only pass by holding hands. The ice is magical, you see? It only works if you stay together."

Larry looked at the lake. It was big and shiny like a mirror. "But we don't know how to skate!"

"And Jasmine is too small," added Ellen, worried.

Violet looked at the trembling little snail, then looked at her friends. Her strong character told her not to give up.

"We'll make it," she said. "Let's hold hands."

The four children held hands. Violet held Alex, Alex held Ellen, Ellen held Larry. But what about Jasmine?

"Climb on my shoulder," Violet said to the little snail. "There's room for you."

Jasmine, with her antennae trembling with fear but also with hope, climbed onto Violet's shoulder.

They put their feet on the ice.

Immediately their legs began to slip! Alex almost fell, but Violet held him tight. Ellen slid backwards, but Larry pulled her towards him.

"Don't let go!" shouted Gustav from the shore.

The ice began to make strange noises. CRACK CRACK. It wasn't breaking, but it was becoming more slippery!

"I'm scared!" said Ellen in a thin voice.

"Hold on to me!" said Larry, who usually ran fast but now was going slow to stay with the others.

Violet felt Jasmine trembling on her shoulder. "Don't worry," she whispered to her. "I won't let you fall."

They took one step, then another. The ice seemed to want to make them slip this way and that. At one point, right in the middle of the lake, a gust of freezing wind pushed them backwards!

"Ohhhh!" they all shouted.

They were about to fall! Their hands were sweating, the ice was cold, the wind was blowing.

But Violet planted her feet and held everyone tight. Her stubborn character, which sometimes made her angry, now made her an anchor for her friends.

"We won't give up!" she shouted.

And all together they took a step. Then another. And another one.

The wind stopped blowing. The ice became smoother and gentler under their feet. They slid to the opposite shore and... they had made it!

"Hooray!" shouted Alex, jumping for joy.

"We did it!" said Larry, all red in the face but happy.

Ellen sat down on the grass, a bit tired but with a big smile.

And Jasmine? Jasmine had stopped trembling. In front of them was a family of snails under a giant mushroom. Mummy snail, daddy snail and three smaller little snails.

"Jasmine!" cried mummy snail. "We've been looking for you everywhere!"

But Jasmine hesitated. "I thought there was no room for me..."

Daddy snail came closer slowly. "There's always room for one more, Jasmine. Always."

The family hugged, and even though snails are slow, their hug was quick and full of love.

Gustav the Champion reached the children. "Do you know what the real victory is?" he asked.

"What?" asked Violet.

"It's not coming first. It's bringing everyone together to the finish line. You've won the most important race: the one of the heart."

He took off a small medal from his neck. It was shaped like a heart. "This is for you, Violet. Because you made room for someone who needed it."

Violet took the medal in her hands. She felt her heart beating fast with happiness.

"CHUFF CHUFF!"

Toby the Magic Train was waiting for them near the garden gate. They said goodbye to Jasmine, Gustav and all the animal statues that seemed to smile.

They climbed onto the little carriages and the train set off.

"You helped someone lonely and sad, and on the ice together you won!" sang Toby the Magic Train as it crossed the rainbow mist.

When they returned to Violet's garden, the sun was setting. The puddles were shining orange and pink.

Daddy Luke ran to hug Violet. "How was the adventure?"

Violet showed him the heart-shaped medal. "Daddy, I learned something important."

"What, my little one?"

"That there's always room for one more. Always."

That evening, as the children went home, each one thought about the adventure they had lived. Ellen fell asleep in her daddy Andrew's arms before even reaching the car. Alex was telling everything to Grace, his mummy, who held him tight. Larry was showing how he had skated to Christina and Frederick. And Violet, with her medal on her bedside table, fell asleep dreaming of little snails and frozen lakes.

The moral of this story is: making room for others is a precious gift. When we think there's no room for someone, we can always squeeze a little closer and let in those who need it. There's always room for one more, in the game, in the group, and especially in the heart. Just like Violet made room for Jasmine on her shoulder, and the whole snail family made room for the little one who thought she was too much.

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