It was a February morning with a sky as gray as a wool blanket. Every now and then a ray of sunshine poked through the clouds and warmed the garden. The four friends were preparing their Carnival masks seated around the kitchen table at Lori's house.

Lori was running back and forth with a red cape tied around his neck.

"I'm a superhero!" he shouted, pretending to fly.

"Lori, be careful not to bump into the table!" said Federico, his dad, who was watching him worriedly.

Ale was gluing orange glitter onto a tiger mask. He was so focused that the tip of his tongue was sticking out of his mouth.

"I'm going to be a tiger! Like Dora, my fearless cat!" said Ale, all happy.

Viola was holding tight to her butterfly mask with blue wings, just like her eyes. She was squeezing it tight because she didn't want anyone to touch it.

Eletta instead had sat on Andrea's lap, her dad, and was drawing yellow stars on a fairy mask. She was calm and smiling while Andrea made funny jokes.

"Eletta, your mask is beautiful!" said Elisa, Eletta's mom, stroking her hair.

Cristina, Lori's mom, brought a tray with slices of cake for everyone.

"Hooray for cake!" shouted Lori, who immediately stopped running.

Right at that moment, from outside came a sound that everyone knew well.

"CHUFF CHUFF!"

The children jumped to their feet. Ale jumped so high he almost touched the chandelier. Viola squeezed her mask even tighter. Eletta woke up completely, even though she wasn't sleeping. And Lori ran to the window super fast.

"It's Toby!" they all shouted together.

Toby the Magic Train was standing in the garden, with his colored smoke coming out of the chimney. Today the smoke was made of confetti! Little pieces of colored paper flew through the air like butterflies.

Toby whistled and said in his cheerful voice:

"Hello children, what a wonderful occasion, I'll take you where there's great celebration! Masks and parties on every street, come with me, what a treat!"

The parents looked at each other and smiled.

"Off you go," said Max, Ale's dad, in his usual gentle tone. "But stay together, please."

Grace, Ale's mom, hugged him tight before letting him climb aboard.

Dad Luca, Viola's dad, adjusted his glasses on his nose and said: "Have fun! And Viola, listen to your friends!"

Marti, Viola's mom, checked that her little girl had her jacket buttoned up properly.

The four friends climbed onto the magic train with their masks in hand. Toby whistled again and set off.

"CHUFF CHUFF!"

The little train flew over houses, over trees, through clouds that smelled like cotton candy. A gentle breeze carried the scent of flowers, even though it was winter. It was magic from the train!

After a while, Toby stopped in a big city. But it wasn't a normal city. It was a city celebrating Carnival!

The streets were full of people in costumes. There were princesses in sparkling dresses, knights with cardboard swords, funny animals and clowns with red noses. Happy music played from every corner. Streamers flew through the air like colorful snakes.

"How beautiful!" said Ale, jumping off the train.

"It's fantastic!" exclaimed Lori, who already wanted to run everywhere.

Viola put on her butterfly mask and smiled. Eletta looked at everything with wide eyes, holding Ale's hand.

"Explore this city with care, and you'll find someone who needs you there!" said Toby before taking a nap.

The children began walking through the lively streets. Everyone was kind and smiling. A clown gave them balloons. A lady dressed as a queen offered them candies.

Then Lori stopped suddenly.

"Did you hear that?" he asked.

The others listened. There was a small sound. A sad sound, like a tiny sigh.

"It's coming from there," said Viola, pointing to a fountain.

They got closer and saw something small and black perched on the edge of the fountain. It was a fly. But not a normal fly. This little fly had two big curious eyes and wore around her neck a tiny drop of dew that sparkled like a lens. She smelled of honey.

A fly is a very small insect, with transparent wings and big eyes. Usually flies buzz around and land on things to look at them up close.

"Hello," said Lori, getting closer. "What's your name?"

The little fly raised her tiny head and said in a thin voice: "My name is Zita. I'm a curious fly. I want to see everything and know everything!"

"And why are you sad?" asked Eletta gently.

Zita lowered her little antennae. "Because nobody wants to be my friend. When I get close, everyone runs away. They say I'm annoying. Today is Carnival and everyone is celebrating together. But I'm alone."

The children looked at each other. They understood that Zita felt very lonely.

"But why do they run away?" asked Ale.

"Because I'm a fly," said Zita. "Nobody likes flies. I just want to look at beautiful things! I land on flowers, on cakes, on hats... But everyone shoos me away."

A tear as small as a crumb fell from Zita's eyes.

"Don't cry!" said Lori, and gently brought his finger closer. Zita climbed onto it, light as a feather.

"Do you want to come with us to the party?" asked Lori.

Zita trembled a little. "I'm scared," she confessed. "I'm afraid they'll chase me away again. Every time I'm rejected, it hurts my heart so much."

"You're scared too?" asked Viola, surprised.

"Yes," said Zita. "I'm so afraid of being alone forever."

Ale came closer. "You know what? I get scared sometimes too. When it's dark, I'm afraid of monsters under the bed."

"I'm scared too," said Eletta in a quiet voice. "I'm afraid of thunder."

"I'm afraid of big dogs," said Viola, shrugging her shoulders.

"And I'm afraid of falling when I run too fast," admitted Lori.

Zita looked at the four children in amazement. "Really? You're scared too?"

"Everyone is scared sometimes," said Lori. "But if we stay together, the fear becomes smaller."

Zita smiled for the first time. Her smile was tiny but beautiful.

"Come on!" said Ale. "Let's go to the party!"

The children walked toward the main square, where there was a big Carnival parade. Zita flew close to them, making little circles in the air. Every now and then she landed on the tip of someone's nose to get a better look, because that was her funny habit.

But as soon as people saw the fly, they made gestures to shoo her away.

"Go away, go away, fly!" said a man dressed as a pirate.

Zita flew away frightened and hid behind Lori's ear.

"Wait!" said Lori in a loud voice. "Zita is my friend! She's not doing anything wrong!"

The pirate man stopped, surprised.

"She's a friend fly?" he asked.

"Yes!" said Lori. "Her name is Zita and she's curious. She just wants to see beautiful things. And today she's alone, nobody wants to play with her."

The pirate man looked at Zita, who was still trembling a little. Then his face became gentle.

"I'm sorry, little Zita," he said. "I didn't mean to scare you."

And he did something unexpected. He took a streamer and rolled it up gently, creating a little crown. He placed it near Zita.

"This is for you," he said. "Happy Carnival!"

Zita was so happy that she flew in a circle three times.

A little girl dressed as a princess saw the scene and came closer.

"Can I see the fly with the crown?" she asked.

"Of course!" said Lori.

Zita landed on the girl's hand, who laughed because the wings tickled her.

"She's so cute!" said the little girl. Then she ran to her mom and came back with a piece of cookie. "Here, Zita! A gift for you!"

A lady dressed as a fairy saw everything and smiled. She came closer and offered Zita a drop of honey on a rose petal.

"I want to be kind too," said the fairy lady.

A boy dressed as a dragon stepped forward. "Can I draw Zita? She's the most beautiful fly I've ever seen!"

In no time, a circle of people had formed around Zita. Everyone wanted to meet her! Everyone wanted to be kind to her!

Lori watched the scene and his heart was beating fast with happiness.

"Did you see?" said Ale. "Kindness has spread like confetti!"

It was true. Lori's kindness had made others want to be kind. And everyone's kindness had made still others want to be kind too. Like when you throw a stone in water and many circles form that get bigger and bigger.

Zita flew up to Lori and landed on his nose, looking at him with her big, shiny eyes.

"Thank you," she said in her tiny voice. "Today I learned something important. I don't have to be scared. If I'm kind and find kind friends, I'll never be alone again."

"And we'll always be your friends," said Viola, and for once her serious face lit up with a big smile.

The Carnival party continued until sunset. The children danced, threw confetti, and ate sweets. Zita stayed with them the whole time, and many new people became her friends.

When the sky turned orange, a familiar sound was heard.

"CHUFF CHUFF!"

Toby the Magic Train was awake and ready to take them home.

"It's time to go," said Eletta, who was starting to get tired.

Zita accompanied the children to the train.

"I love you so much," said the little fly. "Will you come visit me again?"

"We promise!" they all said together.

Toby whistled and said cheerfully:

"What a lovely day, what a great lesson, kindness is a wonderful blessing! One kind gesture calls another, and the heart grows stronger like no other!"

The children climbed onto the train and waved goodbye to Zita, who flew in circles blowing kisses with her little legs.

The journey home was peaceful. Eletta fell asleep leaning against Ale. Viola looked out the window. And Lori thought about everything that had happened.

When they arrived home, the parents were waiting for them.

"How did it go?" asked Cristina, hugging Lori.

"Mom," said Lori, "today I learned that if you're kind, others become kind too. It's like magic!"

Federico smiled and ruffled his hair. "I'm proud of you, Lori."

That evening, as he went to sleep, Lori thought about Zita and smiled. He had understood that everyone is scared sometimes, even a brave little fly. But together, fear becomes smaller. And kindness becomes bigger.

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And this story teaches us something very important: kindness is contagious. When you are kind to someone, that person will want to be kind to someone else. And so a small kind gesture can become many kind gestures, like the circles in water that get bigger and bigger. Remember: every time you are kind, you give a gift to the whole world!

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