That morning Lily, Ziggy, Skye and Dash were in the garden building a castle of cushions. They stacked one cushion on top of another, laughed when the tower wobbled, and pretended a gentle dragon lived inside. The sky was pale blue, with a few plump clouds drifting slowly by, like lazy sheep.

"Careful, it's about to fall!" said Lily, her blue eyes wide open. And fall it did, in a tumble of cushions and giggles.

"Let's build one taller than a house!" shouted Dash, who was putting the cushions back, running this way and that.

"I'll put the roof on!" said Ziggy, jumping to place the last cushion on top.

Skye, calmer than the rest, arranged the cushions carefully, one straight on top of the other. "This way it won't fall," she said softly, with a smile.

It was right then that they heard it. "CHOO-CHOOO! CHOO-CHOOO!"

From behind the hedge popped Toby the Magic Train, shiny and colorful, with smoke that made little hearts in the air. The children ran toward him clapping their hands.

Toby whistled happily and said:

"Good morning, children, hop up here with me,
today we're off to giggle: one, two, three!
A striped tent of magic to brighten the day,
so hold on tight, my friends, we're on our way!"

They all climbed aboard, laughing. Toby set off fast, through the fields and over the hills, until his wheels slowed down in front of a big tent with red and yellow stripes. It was the Somersault Circus. Far away, beyond the hills, a storm grumbled softly, like a hungry tummy. "Rrrumble," the sky went every now and then, still far off.

Inside the circus there were acrobats twirling, clowns with red noses, and balloons shaped like animals. But the most wonderful thing was waiting for them backstage: a plush kitten that moved all by itself.

"Hello! I'm Fluff!" said the kitten, hopping closer with funny little jerks, as if he had a spring inside. He smelled of cotton candy. He tilted his head and asked: "Who are you? Why do you wear shoes? Why is the tent striped? Why? Why?"

Skye laughed softly. "So many questions!"

"Fluff only woke up a little while ago," explained an acrobat, a thin man they called the tightrope walker. The children didn't know what that meant. "What's a tightrope walker?" asked Ziggy. "He's someone who walks on a thin wire without falling, keeping his balance," he answered, and gave a bow. "Fluff is curious about everything, but there's one thing he still doesn't know: what he feels inside."

The children didn't quite understand. But soon they would understand everything.

Fluff hopped here and there, touching everything. "Why does this one spin? Why does that one play music? Why don't you have tails?" The children laughed, and Lily scratched his plush head. Fluff gave a little hop of joy and ran ahead, curious as ever.

Until he came to a big, glittering box full of cranks. It was the gnomes' music box, a magical music box that played a sweet lullaby.

"Why does it make this sound? Why? WHY?" And with one of his springy little jerks, Fluff gave it one paw too many.

The music box toppled over. CLANG! The music stopped all at once.

From a trapdoor backstage came a strange sound. "Hic! Hic! Hic!"

Lily ran to look. Under the circus there was a secret workshop, full of tiny gnomes with pointy hats. They were the ones who kept all the circus magic glowing. But now they all had the hiccups! "Hic! Hic!" And every time they hiccupped, the circus lights flickered and the balloons sagged a little.

"The music box kept them calm," said the tightrope walker, worried. "Without the lullaby, the gnomes got the hiccups. And if they don't work, the Somersault Circus goes dark."

Fluff looked at all that mess. His plush eyes grew very, very wide. "I did it," he whispered. "I'm a broken toy. Now they'll throw me away." And with a sudden leap, Fluff ran off into the darkness of the circus.

"Fluff, wait!" shouted Lily. But the kitten had already vanished among the dark curtains.

Outside, the storm was coming closer. A flash of lightning lit up the tent. "Rrrumble!" Closer this time.

Lily clenched her fists. "We have to find him. Nobody gets thrown away!" Her heart was pounding, but she never gave up. "Ziggy, Skye, Dash, will you help me?"

"We're with you!" they said together.

The search began. Lily led the way, nose up and eyes alert. They climbed the acrobats' perches, those tall, tall wooden ladders that swayed with every step. "Fluff? Are you here?" Lily called. Nothing. Only a bat that suddenly flapped away, and everyone gave a little jump of fright. Ziggy almost lost his balance, but Dash grabbed him by the shirt. "Got you!" he said, laughing, even though his heart was in his throat.

Then they came to the lions' empty cage. It was open and dark, and inside there was a smell of hay and sawdust. Dash, who was the fastest, poked his head in. "Fluuuuff?" His voice echoed. "uuuff... uff... uff." But the kitten wasn't there. There was only an old tamer's hat hanging on a nail, which for a moment seemed to move. Skye jumped, then saw it was only the wind and let out a sigh.

"Rrrumble!" Another thunderclap, louder. Skye was trembling a little. Lily took her hand. "Be brave. We'll find him. We're almost there."

There was only one place left: the gnomes' tunnel, a narrow passage that led down beneath the tent. It was dark and a little scary. Ziggy lit a lantern, and the little flame drew long shadows on the walls. "Let's go," said Lily, and she went down first, one step after another.

At the bottom of the tunnel, curled up behind a cogwheel, was Fluff. He was trembling all over. His springy little jerks had gone stiff, hard as ice.

"Fluff!" Lily came closer slowly. "We looked for you everywhere."

"Go away," said Fluff, very, very small. "I broke everything. I'm all wrong."

And at that moment came the biggest thunderclap of all. "RRRRUMBLE!" The tent shook, Ziggy's lantern flickered, and for an instant the tunnel plunged into darkness. Fluff made himself even smaller. But Lily didn't move a single step.

Lily felt that just bringing him back wasn't enough. Fluff had something inside that he didn't understand. She sat down beside him, on the cold floor, the way Dad Mike did with her when she was scared.

"Fluff," she said gently, "do you feel that thing in your tummy? That tight little squeeze?"

Fluff nodded. "Yes. It feels awful."

"That's called fear," said Lily. "Can you feel your heart going thump-thump, thump-thump, fast?"

"Thump-thump," repeated Fluff, putting a paw on his chest. "It's true! Thump-thump! That's exactly what it does!"

"And then," Lily went on, "there's another thing, isn't there? A weight, right here on your shoulders, because you made a mistake."

Fluff lowered his head. "Yes. It's so heavy. It's because I caused the trouble."

"That's called shame," explained Skye, in her gentle voice, kneeling down beside him. "It comes when we think we've done something wrong. But you know what? Everybody makes mistakes. Even us."

"I once broke Grandma's vase," said Ziggy.

"And I fell into a puddle with my brand-new shoes," laughed Dash. "Splash! All muddy!"

Fluff looked at them, his plush eyes shiny. "And nobody threw you away?"

"Never," said Lily. "Family always stays with you. Even when you make mistakes. Especially when you make mistakes." Then she took a slow, long breath, deep in her tummy. "Try it with me. Breathe slowly. In... and out. This one is called calm."

Fluff breathed. In... and out. In... and out. Little by little his springy jerks softened. The trembling stopped. And from his little chest came a new sound: purring. Real purring, deep and steady. "Rrrrr... rrrrr..."

Something magical happened. Fluff's purring rolled down the tunnel like a warm wave. It reached all the way to the gnomes. And one after another, the hiccups melted away. "Hic... hic... rrrr..." The gnomes stopped hiccupping and began to smile.

The circus lights all came back on together, bright and shining. The balloons puffed up happy and full again, and from up above there even came the laughter of happy children.

The gnomes ran to Fluff and hugged him tight, all of them, like a little heap of pointy hats. "Thank you, little one!" they said. "You healed us!"

"But I broke the music box," said Fluff, confused.

"And now you've mended it, with your heart," said the tightrope walker, setting the music box upright again. "Nobody is throwing you away. A mistake gets mended together."

Fluff purred louder than ever and jumped into Lily's arms, and she held him tight. Skye's eyes were a little shiny too, but it was a smile, not a cry.

When they came out of the tent, the storm had passed. The sky had opened up and the sun shone bright, warming everyone's cheeks like a warm hug.

"CHOO-CHOOO! CHOO-CHOOO!" Toby the Magic Train was right there waiting for them. They all climbed aboard, tired and happy, with Fluff still purring.

Toby whistled softly and said:

"When you stumble and fall, you are never alone,
for the ones who all love you won't leave you on your own.
Today a frightened heart has learned to feel inside,
and now, dear children, home to bed, a gentle ride!"

And as the little train raced toward home, under the sun, the children understood something important: when we make a mistake, we're afraid of not being wanted anymore. But the people who love us always stay with us. Family is always there for you, even when you cause a little trouble. And a mistake, if you mend it together, becomes just one more hug.