It was almost dinnertime, and in Skye's garden the sky was turning pink and orange. Ziggy, Lily, Dash, and Skye sat on the grass, blowing soap bubbles. The bubbles floated up, wobbled in the warm air, and then, pop, they burst with a giggle.

"Look at mine, it's as big as a ball!" shouted Dash, running to catch it.

"Mine went all the way up to the roof!" said Ziggy, jumping with his arms up high.

Lily blew as hard as she could, and out came a long, long bubble that wiggled like a little silver snake. Skye stayed quiet and smiled. She loved to watch. She watched the bubbles and thought that each one was a tiny world that sparkled for a moment and then was gone.

The wind grew cooler. A few grey clouds passed in front of the sun. It seemed as if the sky wanted to say goodnight.

And just then, they heard a sound they knew.

"CHOO CHOO!"

From behind the hedge came Toby the Magic Train, all shiny, with smoke doing little somersaults. The children ran to him, clapping their hands.

Toby the Magic Train whistled happily and said:

"Good evening, dear children, come climb up with me,
tonight the bright moon has a wonder to see.
An island is singing far out on the breeze,
and someone is lost — we will help them with ease!"

"An island that sings?" asked Lily, her eyes shining.

"Who is lost?" whispered Skye, and she felt a little squeeze in her heart.

But Toby the Magic Train, as always, said nothing more. He just went "CHOO" and opened his little doors. The four friends climbed aboard, sat close together, and off they went, over a bridge of stars.

They flew over the rooftops, over the fields, over the dark sea. Then, far out on the water, a little island appeared, lit up by an enormous moon, round and silver, bigger than they had ever seen.

The train stopped softly on the shore. The children got out and stood with their mouths wide open.

Everywhere, on the sand and on the rocks, there were seashells. But not just any seashells. When the wind brushed against them, the shells sang. They made a delicate sound, like many little water bells. Ding, ding, doong.

"How wonderful!" said Ziggy.

"They look like flutes!" said Dash, and he blew into one, but out of his shell came only a funny raspberry. "Pffft!" Everyone laughed.

Lily began to run from one rock to another. Ziggy did somersaults on the cool sand. Dash chased the little crabs that scurried sideways. But Skye, who was calm and felt things quietly inside, heard another sound, beneath the singing of the shells.

A crying. Soft, small, hidden.

"Wait," said Skye. "Do you hear it too?"

The friends stopped. They followed Skye behind a big rock. And there, in the shadow of the moon, they saw an old turtle. Her shell was full of little patterns worn away by time, and her two eyes were shiny with tears.

"Hello," said Skye in a kind voice, coming closer. "Why are you crying?"

The turtle slowly lifted her head. "My name is Shelly," she said with a trembling voice. "And I am lost. I can't remember which island is mine anymore. At night, you see, all the faraway lights look the same. I look at the sea and I see so many little dots of light, but I don't know which one is my home."

Skye sat down beside her in the sand. "Don't cry, Shelly. We will help you. Right, friends?"

"Of course!" they all said together.

Shelly sighed. "You are kind. But it is a hard task." Then she stopped, because she had seen the puzzled faces of the children. "A hard task," she repeated with a little smile, "means something difficult. Very difficult."

"A hard task," said Dash, trying out the new words. "I like that. It sounds like something for brave ones."

And at that moment, plink, out of the water jumped a tiny little fish, silvery, with two frightened eyes. He gave a little hop, looked at the children, and quickly hid behind a stone.

"Who are you?" asked Lily.

The little fish poked out only half of his face. "I'm... I'm Pip," he said very softly. "Sorry if I'm scared. I'm a little bit afraid of everything. Of the dark, of big waves, of loud noises. But... but I want to help too."

Skye smiled at him. "Hello, Pip. No one here will hurt you. Come closer, if you'd like."

Slowly, Pip came out of his hiding place. "I know something," he said. "I know how Shelly can find her home. The singing shells on this island, if they are all lined up the right way, don't just go ding ding. They make a magic melody. And that melody calls each island by name. When it sings the right name, the moon lights up a shimmering trail on the water, straight all the way home."

"Then it's easy!" said Ziggy. "We just have to line up the shells!"

But Pip shook his little head. "There's a problem. The shells are held together by a long rope of seaweed. And the rope... it's all tangled up. There's a knot this big." And he pointed with his fin, toward the middle of the island.

The children ran to see. In the middle of the shore there really was a huge tangle of seaweed, knotted and tight, with dozens of silent shells inside, all bunched together.

"Oh," said Lily, putting her hands on her hips. "Now that is a hard knot. A hard task, Shelly would say."

They all got to work. But the knot was stubborn. Dash pulled on one side with all his might. "One, two, and... heave!" But he slipped backward and landed sitting in a puddle of water. "Splash!" He laughed too, all soaking wet.

Ziggy had an idea. "We mustn't pull! If we pull, the knot gets tighter. We have to loosen it slowly, gently, one thread at a time."

"Ziggy is right," said Skye. "With softness, not with force."

So they changed their way. Lily, who had nimble fingers, began to find the ends of the seaweed. Ziggy followed them and spread them apart. Skye held the shells so they wouldn't get lost. And Dash, little by little, passed the threads through the right holes.

But at one point there was one last knot left, the tightest of all, right at the bottom, inside a dark hole between two rocks, underwater.

"I can't reach it with my hands," said Lily. "It's too far down."

Everyone looked at Pip.

Pip trembled. That dark hole was small and narrow, and beyond it was the open sea, the one that scared him so much. "I... I'm afraid of the dark down there," he whispered.

Skye knelt down by the water and spoke to him gently. "Pip, I know you're afraid. It's okay to be afraid. But you are the only one small enough and brave enough to do it. And we are all here with you. We won't leave you alone for even one moment."

Pip looked at Skye. He looked at Shelly, who was waiting with tears in her eyes. And then he took a deep breath. "All right," he said. "I'll try."

He dove down. He disappeared into the dark hole. A long, long moment passed, when no one breathed. The shells were silent. Even the wind seemed to stop.

Then, all at once, Pip jumped out of the water holding the last end of the seaweed in his mouth. "Done!" he shouted. "I untied it!"

Everyone let out a shout of joy. The knot was gone. The rope was now straight and smooth, and the shells slid into place, one after another, in a perfect line all along the shore.

The wind blew. And this time, the shells did not go ding ding.

They sang.

It was the sweetest melody, rising and falling like the waves. And within that music, clear as a voice, they heard a name: "Round Island... Round Island... come home..."

Shelly's eyes went wide. "Round Island! Yes! That's my home! Now I remember!"

And at that moment the great silver moon made a shimmering trail glow on the dark water, straight and true, like a path of light, all the way to a faraway island with a little round hill.

"It's there," whispered Skye, her eyes shining with joy. "It's right there."

Shelly headed toward the water. Then she stopped and turned around, her voice trembling. "How can I thank you? You helped me without asking for anything in return. I don't know how..."

Skye came close to her and gave her a kiss on her shell. "You don't have to thank us, Shelly. Helping someone in need is already wonderful just like that. Nothing else is needed."

Shelly cried, but this time they were happy tears.

Then something lovely happened. Pip, the scared little fish, took a step forward. "Shelly... may I come with you? The trail is long, and the open sea is big. But... but if I stay close to you, maybe I won't be so afraid anymore."

Shelly smiled. "You would make me very happy, little Pip."

And so, under the moon, the old turtle and the brave little fish set off together along the path of light, toward Round Island. Pip, who a moment before had been afraid of everything, now swam proudly in the open sea, because helping a friend had filled his heart with courage.

The children waved goodbye until the two little dots reached home. And on the horizon, slowly, the dawn began to rise, pink and golden. The shells sang one last, sweet farewell.

"CHOO CHOO!"

Toby the Magic Train had come back for them. The children climbed aboard, tired and happy. Skye leaned against the window and smiled.

Toby the Magic Train whistled softly and said:

"Whoever helps a friend and asks nothing at all,
keeps a treasure that shines, standing proud, standing tall.
The moon showed you tonight, way up high in the blue,
that lending a hand is the best thing to do!"

And as the first sun warmed the sky, the train carried them home, softly, into the arms of Mom and Dad.

And do you know what Skye and her friends had learned that night? That when someone is in trouble, helping them with kindness is the most beautiful thing in the world. Not to get a prize, not to be told thank you, but only because making a friend happy makes us happy too. And courage, the real kind, sometimes is born just like that: by helping someone who is right beside us.