Once upon a time, there was a little star named Stella. She lived high up in the sky, among millions of other twinkling stars.
But Stella was different.
She didn’t like to shine too brightly.
“What if I shine too brightly? What if the others don’t like me?” she often wondered.
The other stars would say to her:
“Shine, Stella! You’re beautiful!”
But Stella remained shy, hiding behind a little cloud.
One evening, the sky grew very dark.
No star shone brightly enough to light up the night.
Down below, the children were afraid of the dark.
“Where’s the light?” asked a little boy.
Stella looked down at Earth.
She saw the children searching for the light of the stars.
She felt her heart beating very fast.
“Maybe I can try…” she whispered.
Gently, Stella began to shine.
First just a little… then a little more…
Her light was soft, but very beautiful.
One star, then two, then all the others followed suit.
The sky became magnificent, filled with light.
The children below smiled.
“Look! The stars are shining!”
Stella was surprised.
“They can see me… and they’re smiling!”
The oldest star said to her:
“You see, Stella? Your light makes the world more beautiful.”
Stella then understood something important.
Shining isn’t scary… it’s a gift.
From that day on, she was never afraid again.
And every night, she lit up the sky with gentleness and confidence.