It was a strange afternoon, with the sky full of gray clouds racing fast, pushed by the wind. They looked like little sheep running away, and every now and then the sun peeked out between one cloud and another, as if to say hello.

Violet, Alex, Ellie, and Laurie were in Violet's garden, sitting on the lawn with old pots, ladles, and tin lids. They were pretending to be a music band.

"I'm playing the drum!" shouted Laurie, banging hard on an upturned pot with a wooden ladle.

"I'm doing the cymbals!" said Alex, clashing two lids together with a great noise.

Ellie had found a glass jar with little pebbles inside, and she shook it gently. It made a nice sound, like rain tapping on the window.

Violet watched her friends play. She was holding a spoon in her hand, but she didn't know what to do.

"Violet, you sing!" said Alex with his big smile.

Violet shook her head. Her blue eyes became a little sad. "I can't sing," she said with her determined little voice. "I'm not able to."

"Yes you are!" said Ellie sweetly.

But Violet wasn't convinced. She squeezed the spoon in her hands and stayed silent.

Right at that moment, a sound came from far away.

"CHUFF CHUFF!"

The four children looked up. Among the gray clouds, a little puff of white smoke appeared, and then another puff, and then another one.

"It's Toby!" shouted Laurie, jumping to his feet.

The magic train came zooming across the lawn, leaving behind a trail of colorful sparkles. Its wheels were shiny, its chimney puffed cheerfully, and its little windows gleamed like happy eyes.

Toby the Magic Train stopped in front of the children and whistled.

"Hello children, what a lovely meeting! A special journey for you I'm keeping! Through mountains and meadows we'll travel today, and a dove you must help along the way!"

"A dove?" asked Violet, curious.

But Toby said nothing more. He opened his colorful little doors and waited.

The four friends looked at each other, then they all climbed aboard. Inside, the seats were soft as cloud pillows, and they smelled of freshly baked cookies.

"CHUFF CHUFF!"

The little train set off. At first it went slowly, then faster and faster. Violet's garden disappeared, the houses disappeared, and everything around them changed.

They were crossing very high mountains, with snow-covered peaks. Then green meadows full of colorful flowers. The sky, which had been gray before, began to change color. First it turned pink, then orange, then yellow. It was dawn. The sun was waking up right at that moment, and it was coloring everything with its magic paintbrushes.

"How beautiful!" whispered Ellie, with her eyes wide open.

And then came a fresh breeze, carrying a strange but nice smell. It smelled of salt, like when you go to the seaside.

"I can smell the sea!" said Alex, sniffing hard.

The little train kept going, through dark tunnels and very high bridges. The children looked out the window, amazed.

At a certain point, Toby slowed down. Then he stopped completely, in the middle of a big flowery meadow, near a farmhouse with a red roof.

"We're here!" said Laurie, ready to get off.

But when they got off, they immediately heard something. A sad sound. A little cry.

"What is it?" asked Violet, looking around.

That's when they saw her. A white dove, white as snow, was perched on a fence. Her feathers were very soft, and her eyes were big and gentle. But she looked worried. Very worried.

"Hello, little travelers," said the dove with a kind little voice. "My name is Celestina. I carry messages flying from one farm to another. It's my job. But today... today something bad has happened."

"What?" asked Violet, coming closer.

The dove looked toward the meadow and said: "A chick has gotten lost. He can't find his mother hen anymore."

The mother hen is the mommy chicken, the one who always stays close to her chicks to keep them warm under her wings.

Alex scratched his head. "What does lost mean?"

Celestina smiled sweetly. "Lost means he can't find his way. The chick got lost and doesn't know how to get home."

"Oh no!" said Ellie, putting her hands on her cheeks.

"Where is he?" asked Laurie, already ready to run.

Celestina pointed with her wing to a wheat field. "He's in there. But there's a problem. The chick is very scared. Every time I try to get close, he runs away. He cries and runs."

The dove had teary eyes. She seemed very sad, and also a little scared herself. Every now and then she looked around, as if she was afraid something bad might come.

"And I... I don't know what to do," said Celestina, lowering her head. "I'm afraid of making things worse."

The four children ran toward the wheat field. The stalks were tall, almost taller than them. Inside, they heard the chick crying.

"Peep peep! Peep peep!"

It was such a sad sound that Violet's heart tightened.

"There he is!" whispered Alex, pointing between the stalks.

There was a tiny chick, all yellow and soft like a little puff. He was trembling with fear. His little eyes were full of tears and his little beak was open to cry.

Laurie took a step forward, but the chick shrieked and ran away, hiding further back.

"No, wait!" said Ellie. But the chick wouldn't listen.

Every time they tried to get closer, the chick ran away. He was terrified.

Celestina reached them flying. "See? He doesn't trust anyone. He'll cry until he finds his mommy, but this way he'll never be able to get back to her."

Violet looked at the chick. She looked at her friends. Then she looked at Celestina.

"Maybe..." said Violet, but then she stopped.

"What?" asked Alex.

"Maybe if we sang him a song... maybe he would calm down," said Violet. Then she lowered her gaze. "But I'm not able to. I can't sing."

Celestina flew close to Violet and spoke to her with her sweet little voice. "Little girl, I'm afraid of many things. I'm afraid of the dark, I'm afraid of thunder, I'm even afraid of flying when the wind is too strong. But you know what I've learned? That sometimes we have to do things even when we're scared. And sometimes we have to believe in ourselves, even when we think we're not able to."

Violet looked at her. "But what if I make a mistake?"

"And what if you don't?" said Celestina, smiling.

The sea breeze blew again, carrying that salty smell. The dawn sky had turned all golden. And the chick kept crying.

Alex came close to Violet. "Try. We'll help you."

"Yes!" said Laurie. "Let's sing together!"

Ellie nodded sweetly. "You start, and we'll follow."

Violet felt her heart beating fast. She was scared. But her friends were looking at her with trust. And that chick needed help.

So Violet took a deep breath. And she began.

"Little chick, don't be afraid..." she sang with her little voice. At first it was a bit shaky. But then it became more confident. "Your mommy is waiting, you'll see her care..."

Alex joined in, clapping his hands softly. Laurie hummed along too. Ellie smiled and tapped her feet to the rhythm.

"Come with us, we'll take you home... your mommy is waiting, no need to roam..."

The song wasn't perfect. It didn't have all the right rhymes. But it was sweet, and it came from the heart.

And something magical happened.

The chick stopped crying. He raised his little head and listened. His little eyes were no longer full of tears. He seemed enchanted.

Violet kept singing, and the chick took a step forward. Then another. And another.

"It's working!" whispered Celestina, excited.

The chick walked to Violet's feet. He was so small he barely reached her ankle. He went "Peep!" but this time it was a happy peep.

Violet bent down and offered him her hand. The chick jumped onto her palm, light as a feather.

"You did it!" shouted Alex, jumping with joy.

"Hurray for Violet!" said Laurie.

Celestina flew up high and did a loop in the air. "I know where the mother hen lives! Follow me!"

The children ran after the dove, crossing the meadow. Violet held the chick in her hands, and he had snuggled up warmly, finally calm.

They arrived at a chicken coop with a wooden fence. And there, in front of the door, was a big brown hen. It was the mother hen, and she seemed desperate. She was going "Cluck cluck! Cluck cluck!" and walking in circles, looking for her little one.

When she saw the chick in Violet's hands, the mother hen ran toward them. The chick jumped down and ran to his mommy, hiding under her warm wings.

"Peep peep!" went the chick, happy.

"Cluck cluck!" replied the mommy, which seemed to say "You're finally back!"

Celestina landed on the fence, her eyes shining with joy. "Thank you, little friends. I could never have done it without you. And you, Violet... you have a beautiful voice."

Violet felt her cheeks turn red. But she smiled. A big smile, full of pride.

"CHUFF CHUFF!"

Toby the Magic Train arrived puffing. He stopped near the children and opened his little doors.

"The dove is happy, the chick has returned! Violet has sung, and all is well learned! Who believes in themselves has half the power, difficult things can be done any hour, just want them and try, and watch yourself flower!"

The four friends said goodbye to Celestina and the chick, then climbed onto the little train.

The journey back was sweet and peaceful. The sun was now high in the sky, and the gray clouds had disappeared.

When they arrived in Violet's garden, the children got off.

"Thank you, Toby!" they all said together.

The little train whistled and set off again, leaving behind a trail of sparkles.

Violet looked at her friends. Then she smiled.

"Maybe... maybe I can sing a little bit," she said.

"Yes!" said Alex, hugging her.

And that evening, when Daddy Luke and Marty called Violet for dinner, she came into the house humming.

"What a lovely song!" said Marty, surprised.

"I made it up myself," said Violet, with her blue eyes shining.

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**The moral of this story is:** If you believe in yourself, you're already halfway there. Sometimes we think we're not able to do something, but if we try with courage, we can discover that we're better than we thought. Violet was afraid to sing, but when she believed in herself, she did something wonderful.

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