Once upon a time, high in the velvet-night sky, there lived a little star named Zara. Zara wasn’t the biggest star, nor the brightest, but every night she twinkled gently, bringing comfort and hope to children who looked up before going to sleep.

One evening, a dark cloud drifted across the sky. Zara’s glow dimmed and she felt afraid. The cloud grew thicker each night, hiding the moon and making the sky so heavy that Zara could barely sparkle. She tried with all her might, but her light flickered and she felt smaller than ever.

Down below, in a small village, a young girl named Amina always looked up at Zara before sleep. She said, “Good night, little star, thank you for shining so I don’t feel alone.” But lately, she couldn’t see Zara clearly. The sky was too dark. Amina worried: “Has she forgotten me?”

Zara felt sad. She thought maybe she had failed. “If I can’t shine, what good am I?” she whispered.

Then one night, she heard a soft voice. It was Amina, calling up weakly, “Please, little star, don’t stop shining. Even a faint light helps me feel hope.”

Hearing that gave Zara courage. She gathered all her strength and tried to shine — just a little at first — through the edges of the dark cloud. It was hard. Sometimes the cloud blocked her entirely, and she would feel discouraged. But she remembered Amina, and many other children who have looked up hoping to see just a sparkle. So Zara persisted, even when it was difficult.

One morning, the clouds drifted away with the wind. The moon smiled, and the sky grew clear. Zara’s light, though small, shone through fully once more. Amina saw her, and her face lit up. “There you are!” she said, full of joy. She giggled, “I knew you’d find your way back.”

Zara felt warm inside — not because she was the brightest anymore, but because she had not given up even when the clouds were heavy. She had remembered that even a little light can comfort someone who feels lost.

Moral of the Story:
Even when darkness surrounds us, our small lights — kindness, hope, courage — matter. Never give up shining, because someone somewhere needs your light more than you know.