It was a late spring morning, with a fresh wind blowing on the children's cheeks. The sky was full of little white clouds racing fast, like sheep running away. Alex, Violet, Ellen, and Larry were playing in the big garden at Larry's house, together with Fred, his dad.

"Be careful Larry, don't run too close to the little fountain!" said Fred, adjusting his glasses on his nose.

The four friends had built a paper boat and were making it float in the water basin. Larry, who was super fast, was running around the basin trying to make the water move with his hands.

"Look how fast it goes!" shouted Larry, all happy.

"I want to make it go too!" said Violet with her determined voice, pushing forward with her blue eyes sparkling.

"We can do it all together," suggested Ellen calmly, while she leaned a little on Andrew, her dad, who had come to see what the little ones were up to.

"Good children, playing together is always better!" said Andrew, making one of his jokes. "Do you know what you call a boat that doesn't want to sail? A lazy-boat!"

The children laughed, even though they didn't really understand the joke.

Alex was hopping around, looking at the little boat with his lively eyes. "What if the boat went to a faraway place?" he asked dreamily.

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

"CHOO CHOO!"

The four children raised their heads all together. They knew very well what that noise meant!

From behind the big rose bush appeared a colorful little train, with smoke coming out of the chimney and wheels turning merrily. It was Toby the Magic Train!

Toby stopped in front of the children and opened his little door.

"Hello children, are you ready to go? An oasis in the desert waits below! Among the sand and the warm sun, you'll find a friend before day is done!"

"An oasis!" exclaimed Larry, clapping his hands. "What's an oasis?"

Fred bent down toward his son. "An oasis, Larry, is a special place in the desert. Where there's lots of sand and it's very hot, sometimes you find a little spot with palm trees, fresh water, and shade. It's like a hidden garden in the middle of nothing!"

"How lovely!" said Larry, and he was the first to climb onto the train. The other three friends followed right away.

"Have fun, children!" shouted Andrew, waving his hand.

"Be careful, Larry!" said Fred, a bit worried as always.

The little train departed with another "CHOO CHOO!" and in an instant, everything around changed.

The garden disappeared. Now there was sand everywhere, golden sand that sparkled under a very hot sun. The air was so warm that the children immediately felt their cheeks burning.

"It's so hot!" complained Violet, fanning herself with her little hand.

"I'm thirsty," said Ellen with a tired voice.

But there, before them, something wonderful appeared. A light mist, white as milk, was rising toward the sky. And beneath that mist, as if by magic, the oasis appeared!

There were very tall palm trees with green leaves swaying in the wind. There was a pond of blue, clear water. And there were colorful flowers that smelled like honey.

"It's beautiful!" exclaimed Alex, jumping off the train.

The four friends ran toward the fresh water. But when they got close to the pond, they saw something strange.

A man was sitting on a rock, with a fishing rod in his hands. He had skin tanned by the sun, a gray beard, and eyes that seemed to have seen a thousand adventures. He wore a worn-out straw hat and had a shiny seashell hanging around his neck.

"Who's that?" whispered Larry to his friends.

The man turned and looked at them. He didn't seem scared at all. In fact, he smiled.

"Welcome, little travelers! I am Omar, the fisherman of this oasis. I catch fish to feed all the people of the nearby village."

Omar stood up. He was tall and strong, and walked with sure steps, afraid of nothing. When he approached the children, they smelled something strange: Omar smelled of sea salt and fresh mint.

"A fisherman in the desert?" asked Violet, who didn't understand.

"Yes, little one. In this pond live special fish, golden fish that swim only here. But today I have a huge problem."

Omar pointed to the village in the distance. White little houses could be seen among the sand dunes.

"Tonight there's a big banquet in the village. A banquet is a party where everyone eats together, with many delicious dishes on the table. But the sun is already going down and I haven't caught enough fish yet! If I don't bring the food in time, the children of the village will stay hungry."

The fisherman seemed sad, even though he tried not to show it.

"We can help you!" said Larry immediately, because he was a boy who was quick in thinking too.

"Would you really do this?" asked Omar, surprised.

"Of course!" all four said together.

Omar smiled. "Then I must tell you something important. It's not enough to catch the fish. You also have to take them to the village, and the village is far away. To arrive in time, you need someone really swift."

"Swift?" asked Alex, tilting his head.

Omar laughed. "Swift means fast, super quick! Like the wind!"

"I'm swift!" shouted Larry, jumping up and down. "I'm the fastest of all!"

But then he stopped. He looked at his friends and remembered something important.

"But... it's not nice to win alone," said Larry, a little embarrassed. "It's nicer if we win together."

Omar nodded his head, touched by those wise words.

The fisherman gave each child a task. Alex would help pull the fish out of the water, because he was good at jumping and catching things in mid-air. Violet would check that all the fish were beautiful and shiny, because she had attentive eyes. Ellen would put the fish in the basket gently, because she was calm and precise.

And Larry? Larry would carry the basket to the village, running as fast as he could.

But there was a problem.

While the children were fishing, the sun was going down faster and faster. The shadow of the palm trees stretched across the sand. And the wind began to blow strongly.

"A sandstorm is coming!" shouted Omar. "You must hurry!"

The sand started flying everywhere. The children closed their eyes and covered their faces with their little hands. It was hard to see, it was hard to breathe!

"I'm scared!" said Ellen, and she grabbed Violet's arm.

But Omar stayed calm. He wasn't afraid of anything. He took his seashell and blew into it. A beautiful sound came out, like a magical melody.

The sand stopped. The wind calmed down.

"My seashell can stop the storms for a while," explained Omar. "But it won't last long. You must run now!"

Larry grabbed the basket full of fish. It was heavy, very heavy for a four-year-old boy. His arms were shaking.

"I can't do it alone!" said Larry, almost crying.

That's when his friends ran to him.

"I'll help you!" said Alex, grabbing one side of the basket.

"Me too!" said Violet, taking the other side.

"I'll guide you!" said Ellen, who could see better than the others which way to go.

Together, the four children started running. It wasn't a race to see who would arrive first. It was a run all together, side by side, without pushing each other.

The sand was hot under their feet. The basket was heavy. But nobody gave up.

"We can do it!" shouted Larry, encouraging his friends.

And they really did it.

They arrived at the village just as the first stars appeared in the sky. The villagers welcomed them with shouts of joy. The children of the village ran to meet them, hugging them.

An elderly woman took the basket and brought it to the kitchen. Soon, the smell of cooked fish filled the air.

Omar arrived shortly after, walking calmly. He looked at the four friends with pride.

"You did something extraordinary today," said the fisherman. "You didn't run to win. You ran to help. And you did it together."

Omar took the seashell from his neck and gave it to Larry.

"This is for you. But remember: the real treasure isn't this seashell. The real treasure is your friends."

Larry held the seashell tight, but looked at Alex, Violet, and Ellen with a huge smile.

"I know," he said. "My friends are my treasure."

At that moment, a familiar sound came from far away.

"CHOO CHOO!"

Toby the Magic Train had returned to take them home.

The children said goodbye to Omar and all the villagers, then climbed onto the train.

Toby spoke with his cheerful voice:

"Good children, what a lovely trip you make! True friendship is what you create! Together you win, together you go, the greatest treasure you already know!"

The little train departed, and in an instant the children found themselves in Larry's garden. Fred was still there waiting for them, and he ran to hug his son.

"How did it go?" he asked.

"Great, Dad!" said Larry, showing the seashell. "I found a treasure! But do you know what the most beautiful treasure is?"

"What?" asked Fred curiously.

Larry pointed to his three friends. "Them. Alex, Violet, and Ellen. They are my real treasure."

The four children hugged each other tightly, laughing happily.

And that evening, while the sun set coloring the sky orange and pink, Larry understood something important.

**The moral of this story is:** friendship is a treasure. True friends are more precious than any object, more precious than gold and magical seashells. When we have friends who love us and help us, we already have the greatest treasure in the world. And the beautiful thing is that this treasure cannot be lost, because it lives in the heart.

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