That evening the air was cool and smelled of wet leaves. The sky had turned as clear as freshly washed glass, and in the garden a big round moon had come out, lighting up everything with its silvery glow.

Ziggy was running in the meadow with his friends. They were playing a game he had made up, which he called "shadow tag." The moon was so bright that everyone had a long dark shadow on the grass, and to win you had to jump with your feet on a friend's shadow before it ran away.

"I caught your shadow, Dash!" laughed Ziggy, jumping like a spring.

"And now try to catch mine?" shouted Dash, who was as fast as the wind and zigzagged away between the bushes.

Lily jumped with her blue eyes shining, determined not to be caught by anyone. Skye, on the other hand, stayed calmer, and every now and then she stopped to look at the moon with a sweet smile, as if it were telling her a secret.

All around them were Ziggy's four cats. Sofia, the little black cat, purred lovingly and never left Ziggy alone. Dora, the tabby cat, was brave and jumped from one bush to another without fear. Poldo, chubby and heavy, sat on the grass to watch, because running was not his favorite game. And Milo, taller and nimbler than all of them, made very high leaps to catch the shadows in midair.

Then, among the trees, a little yellow light turned on. And a sound was heard that the children knew very well.

"CHUFF CHUFF!"

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

Toby the Magic Train came puffing up, with his colorful cars shining in the moonlight. He stopped next to the garden, blew his whistle, and said, as he always did, speaking in rhyme:

"All aboard, little explorers, come with me,
tonight we ride through snow and sparkles, you'll see!
Up at the top there's a little light to find,
and a forgetful friend who needs someone kind."

The children looked at each other, intrigued. A mountain? Snow? A forgetful friend? They couldn't wait to find out who it was. They climbed aboard in a rush, the four cats leaped inside, and Toby set off lightly into the night.

The little train climbed and climbed, through the low clouds, until it stopped at the foot of a mountain all in white. It was Mount Moonsilver, and it was called that because the full moon made it shine as if it were made of silver. At the top, far, far away, you could see a small, warm, orange light.

"Is that a house?" asked Skye with her gentle eyes.

"That is the Gentle Fire Lodge," said a trembling little voice. "It's the warmest place in the world, where there's always someone waiting for you."

The children turned around. In front of them was a white and super soft rabbit, as fluffy as powdered sugar. He wore a checkered scarf full of little pockets, and he smelled of fresh snow with a hint of cookies. He hopped in a zigzag, right and left, because he kept changing his mind, and he counted his steps out loud: "One, two, three... no, wait, one, two..."

"I am Nino, the Snow Rabbit," he said. "I know every path on the mountain. That is... I used to know them. Oh, what a mess!"

"What happened?" asked Lily, who already smelled an adventure.

Nino let out a big sigh. "The path has been wiped away! Tonight a snowslide came down."

"What's a snowslide?" asked Ziggy, scratching his head.

"It's when a lot of snow slides down the mountain all at once, with a big noise," explained Nino. "And it covered the silver path that led to the lodge. It was a beautiful path, all white and spotless."

"Spotless?" repeated Dash, wrinkling his nose. "What a strange word!"

"It means clean and super white," smiled Skye. "Without even one little speck."

"Exactly!" said Nino. "And now it's gone. The little ones of the forest are stuck outside and can't find their way home anymore. Their mommy is waiting for them up there, all cozy, but they don't know where to put their paws. And I... I should help them, but I'm so forgetful that I always forget where to turn!" And he started again: "One, two, three... um, where was I?"

Ziggy looked at the mountain. He looked at the snow. He looked at the big round moon. And all at once, in his head, an idea lit up, like a light bulb.

"Wait!" said Ziggy, his eyes sparkling. "Look over there! The moon makes the stones and the ice shine. If the old path is gone... we'll build a new one! A path made of light!"

Everyone stared at him with their mouths open.

"Let's gather the shiny little stones and the pinecones," Ziggy went on, "and we'll put them in a line up the mountain. The moon will make them sparkle like tiny stars, and so the little ones will see the way. And Nino won't be able to get it wrong anymore either, because he'll just have to follow the light!"

"Ziggy, you're a genius!" shouted Lily.

They got to work right away. It was a real job, and everyone did their part. Lily, Skye, and Dash gathered the shiniest stones and the pinecones, filling their arms. Ziggy arranged them one after another, in a neat line that climbed up the side of the mountain.

And the cats? The cats were wonderful. Dora, brave, ran ahead to explore and found the spots where the mountain was less steep. Milo made huge leaps and went to place the little stones on the highest rocks, the ones no one could reach. Poldo, with his chubby, heavy body, lay down to hold the pinecones still when the wind wanted to carry them away. And Sofia, sweet as always, stayed close to whoever was tired and cheered them on with her purring.

They climbed step by step. One stone, one step. Another pinecone, another step. The path of light grew behind them, a sparkling trail climbing toward the top. Nino hopped along happily and, for the first time, he didn't get lost: he just had to look at the light.

But halfway up, something happened.

A big gray cloud came into the sky and covered the moon. And all at once... the path of light went out. The stones went dark, the pinecones vanished into the shadow, and everything around grew dark and cold.

"Oh no!" whimpered Nino. "It all went out! We'll never make it!"

Dash tripped on a stone and fell down into the snow. "Ouch! I can't see anything anymore. Maybe we should go back down..."

Ziggy felt his heart tighten too. They were tired, it was cold, and the top seemed so far away. For a moment they all felt like giving up.

But Skye came closer, calmly, and took the hand of whoever was next to her. "Don't be afraid," she said in her sweet voice. "The moon hasn't gone away. It's just hiding behind a cloud. We only have to wait a little."

And Dash, who had fallen into the snow with his bottom in the air, started laughing at himself. "Look at me! I look like a snowman with ears!" And everyone laughed, and the fear grew smaller.

So they stayed still, huddled together, the children, the cats, and Nino, with their noses turned up to look at the sky. They waited, and waited some more. And then, little by little, the gray cloud moved away.

And the moon began to shine again.

The path lit up all at once, from top to bottom, like a necklace of diamonds. The stones glittered, the pinecones sparkled, and the road of light showed the way once more.

"Look!" shouted Dora, running ahead. Out of the bushes came the little ones of the forest: three shivering baby squirrels and a tiny hedgehog. They had seen the light and were following it!

"This way, this way!" Ziggy called to them. And all together, step by step, they climbed the last bit of the mountain, following the sparkling trail.

Until they reached the top.

And there was the Gentle Fire Lodge, with its door open and a warm, orange light coming from the windows. On the doorstep, a big mommy squirrel was waiting with her heart in her throat. As soon as she saw her little ones, she ran to hug them and covered them with cuddles.

"You came back! My treasures came back home!" she said, her eyes shining with joy.

Nino looked at the path of light and smiled. "Do you see it? I didn't get lost even once! Because the road of light can't be forgotten. It's here, in my eyes, and it will stay with me."

Inside the lodge there was a crackling fireplace, cups of warm milk, and cookies that smelled of home. Everyone sat down by the fire, the children, the cats, Nino, and the family of little animals, all cozy, while outside the mountain shone like silver.

Ziggy looked at his friends and understood something important. It had not been the most beautiful path because it was made of light. It was the most beautiful because it led home. And home is not just a roof or a door: home is the place where there's someone who loves you and waits for you.

When it was time to go back, Toby the Magic Train was waiting for them at the foot of the mountain. He went "CHUFF CHUFF," and when everyone had climbed aboard he said, in rhyme:

"The finest of paths lit the mountain tonight,
and you built it yourselves from the soft moonlight!
For home isn't only a roof up above:
it's wherever someone is waiting with love."

And as the little train slid down the mountain, under the big round moon, Ziggy fell asleep with a smile, dreaming of paths made of stars and fires that always wait, warm, for those who come home.