It was an afternoon with the sky covered by little grey clouds, but every now and then the sun peeked out and lit everything up. In the garden of Ale's house, four children were doing something very fun: they were stamping their little hands full of paint on a big white sheet spread out on the grass.

Ale had his hands all red. Violet had hers blue like her eyes. Ella had chosen yellow, bright like the sun. And Lori was laughing because he had mixed green and orange, and now his hands looked like those of a funny monster.

Ale's four cats were watching them from a distance. Sophie, the black kitten, had curled up under a bush. Dorothy, the stripy and fearless one, was sniffing the paint jars curiously. Chubby, the big fat cat, was sleeping peacefully. And Miles, his more agile brother, was jumping from one chair to another.

"Look! I made a flower!" said Ale happily, hopping on the spot like he always did.

"Mine is prettier," replied Violet, with her strong character, crossing her arms.

"They're all beautiful," said Ella in a calm voice, smiling.

Right at that moment, a light breeze began to blow. It caressed the children's hair and made the leaves fly in circles, as if they were dancing.

And then they heard it.

"CHUFF CHUFF!"

The children raised their heads all together. From the bottom of the garden, between the bushes, a little cloud of coloured smoke appeared. And then he appeared: a small and shiny little train, with eyes that sparkled and a big smile painted on the locomotive.

"Toby!" shouted Lori, running towards him.

Toby the Magic Train stopped gently and spoke with his cheerful voice:

"Hello children, what joy I bring today! A special journey, not long, not far away. Where walls tell stories painted bright, and colours are alive, never dull or slight!"

Ale clapped his hands. He loved when Toby spoke like that, all in rhyme. The four cats came closer, and they seemed curious too.

"Can we come too?" asked Ale, looking at Sophie, Dorothy, Chubby and Miles.

Toby the Magic Train whistled happily, as if to say yes.

Everyone climbed aboard. The little train set off through a rainbow of light, and the garden disappeared behind them.

When the light calmed down, the children opened their eyes and stood with their mouths wide open.

They were in a neighbourhood like they had never seen before. Every wall, every house, every street was painted with wonderful drawings! There were whales swimming on a blue building. Giant butterflies flew on a yellow wall. Enormous flowers bloomed on a pink staircase.

"This is the Painters' Quarter," whispered Ella, with eyes full of wonder.

The little breeze blew there too, and made coloured ribbons hanging between the windows sway. It seemed like the whole neighbourhood was breathing colour.

Ale's cats got off the train and started exploring. Dorothy, brave as always, climbed up a little wall painted with goldfish. Miles made a big jump and landed on a turquoise bench.

"Peep peep! Peep peep!"

The children turned around. From behind a bin painted like a mushroom, a chick appeared. It was small, yellow and very fluffy. It had lively eyes and a little tuft of feathers on its head that moved with the wind.

"Oh, a chick!" said Violet, coming closer.

But the chick wouldn't stay still. It hopped here and there, and left coloured footprints wherever it went! Its little feet were full of paint.

"Peep peep! Welcome to my superb neighbourhood!" said the chick, making a funny little bow.

Lori tilted his head. "Superb? What does superb mean?"

The chick laughed, and its chirp sounded like a little bell. "Superb means beautiful, but even more! When something is so beautiful that it makes you say WOW, then it's superb!"

"Superb!" repeated Ale, jumping. "I like that word!"

"My name is Fluffy," said the chick, "and I love playing tricks! Watch!"

Fluffy ran towards a white wall and with his coloured little feet started to draw. In just a few seconds, he had made a smiling sun!

"How did you do that?" asked Ella, amazed.

"My little feet are magic! But do you know what I like even more than tricks?"

"What?" they all asked together.

"Races!" shouted Fluffy. "I challenge you! Who can reach the big coloured fountain at the end of the street first?"

Ale felt his heart beating fast. He loved running! His eyes sparkled.

"I'm in!" he said, ready to go.

"Me too!" said Lori, who was super fast.

But Violet shook her head and sat down on a step painted with little stars. "Not me."

Everyone looked at her.

"Why not, Violet?" asked Ale.

Violet lowered her eyes. "Because... because if I lose I get angry. I don't want to lose."

Fluffy stopped hopping. He came close to Violet and looked at her with his little black eyes. "Are you afraid of losing?"

Violet nodded, pressing her lips together.

At that moment, something strange happened. A light fog began to rise from the ground, like a soft white veil. It wrapped around the children's ankles and hid the drawings on the ground.

"What's happening?" asked Lori, a little worried.

Fluffy looked around. "Sometimes the fog comes here. It covers everything and you have to find your way without seeing well."

The fog kept rising. Now it covered the children's knees. The colours on the walls became blurred, like in a dream.

"I'm a little scared," said Ella, moving closer to the others.

Sophie, Ale's black kitten, rubbed against Ella's legs to give her courage. Chubby, the big fat cat, stood in front of everyone like a guard.

"We have to move!" said Fluffy. "The fog is rising, but if we run towards the fountain, we'll find it! The fog never reaches there!"

Ale looked at his friends. He looked at Violet, sitting with her head down. Then he made a decision.

"Violet, come with us. It doesn't matter who wins. What matters is being together!"

Violet looked up. "But what if I fall? What if I come last?"

"Then you get back up!" said Ale with a big smile. "And you keep going!"

Fluffy hopped happily. "Peep peep! He's right! Falling isn't losing. Losing is staying on the ground!"

The fog now reached their tummies. They had to go.

"Let's run!" shouted Lori.

And they all set off together. Ale in front, with his legs going fast. Lori beside him. Ella ran calmly but without stopping. Violet had stayed a bit behind, but she was running too!

The cats followed them. Dorothy jumped from one wall to another. Miles ran along the edge of the road. Sophie and Chubby trotted with the children.

The fog was everywhere now. You could hardly see anything. Just shapes of blurred colours.

Ale ran with all his might. He looked ahead, searching for the fountain. But he couldn't see it!

Suddenly, his foot tripped on something. Ale fell forward! His knees touched the ground, his hands got dirty with coloured dust.

"Ale!" the others shouted.

Ale stayed still for a moment. His knees hurt a little bit. He felt like crying. Like staying there.

But then he thought about what he had said to Violet. "If you fall, you get back up."

Ale clenched his fists. He got to his feet. He dusted off his knees. And then he smiled. A big smile.

"I'm okay!" he shouted. "Let's keep going!"

And he started running again.

Violet, who had seen everything, felt something change inside her. If Ale could fall and get back up smiling, she could do it too.

She ran faster.

Right at that moment, the fog began to lift. It rose slowly, like a sheet that someone was pulling towards the sky. And under the fog, something magical appeared.

The ground was painted! There was an enormous drawing that you could only see from above: a giant rainbow made of a thousand handprints. Small hands, big hands, hands of every colour.

"Oh!" they all exclaimed.

And in front of them, finally, there was the fountain. It was beautiful! The water sprayed out in colours: blue, then pink, then green, then golden!

Everyone arrived together, laughing and panting.

"We made it!" shouted Lori.

Violet stopped next to the fountain, with her cheeks red from running. "I didn't come last," she said. "But even if I had... it would have been nice anyway!"

Fluffy hopped into the fountain and got his feathers wet. "Peep peep! You understood the secret! The fear of falling is worse than actually falling!"

Ale sat on the edge of the fountain. Dorothy jumped into his lap. "I fell," said Ale. "But I didn't stop."

Ella, who was a bit tired, leaned against Violet. "I'm glad you came to run with us."

The little breeze returned, gentle and cool. The fog had completely disappeared, and now the whole Painters' Quarter shone under a golden light.

"CHUFF CHUFF!"

Toby the Magic Train arrived, puffing smoke that this time was made of coloured confetti.

"Brave children, I'll take you back home! Those who fall and rise up have strength of their own. Obstacles really are just steps on the way, to grow big and strong from small ones each day!"

The children said goodbye to Fluffy with big hugs. The chick left a coloured footprint on each of their shirts, as a memory.

"Come back and visit me!" said Fluffy. "And remember: every fall is a step forward!"

They climbed onto the little train. The cats settled into the carriages. And Toby set off, passing through the rainbow of light once again.

When they arrived in Ale's garden, the sky had opened up and the sun was shining warmly.

Max, Ale's daddy, was waiting for them with a calm smile. "How was the adventure?"

Ale ran to him and hugged him. "I fell, Daddy! But I got back up and kept running!"

Max stroked his hair. "I'm very proud of you."

Grace, Ale's mummy, picked him up and held him tight. "My little brave one!"

The children sat together on the grass, still excited. They looked at the paint marks on their hands, the ones from the morning and the new ones from the Painters' Quarter.

"Next time," said Violet with her strong character, "I want to run again. Even if I'm scared."

Ella smiled and closed her eyes, resting her head on Violet's shoulder. She was a bit tired, as always happened in the evening.

Lori jumped to his feet. "I want to go back to Fluffy!"

Ale looked at the sky, where the last puff of Toby's coloured smoke was disappearing.

The moral of this story is very important: obstacles are like steps. When you meet something difficult, like falling or being afraid of losing, you mustn't stop. Every time you overcome an obstacle, you become a little bit stronger and climb one step higher. Falling doesn't mean losing. Losing means staying on the ground and not trying anymore. So remember: when you fall, get back up, smile, and keep running!

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