Once upon a time, there was a country dog named Lampo. He wasn't called that because he was fast, but because the day he was born, lightning struck the old tree in the yard, knocking an apple down next to it. "A name like that will bring energy!" his owner's grandmother had said.
Lampo was a curious dog: he loved chasing chickens (but only for fun), digging perfectly round holes, and sniffing low clouds on foggy days. There was one thing he really didn't like, however: thunderstorms. At the first rumble of thunder, he would run for shelter under the kitchen table, pretending to search for a crumb of bread.
One afternoon, while Lampo was sleeping in the garden, the sky decided to make itself heard: "Grrrr... BOM!" it thundered. But this time, something strange happened. The storm, instead of scaring Lampo away, shuddered. "Uh-oh... it's him... the lightning dog!" muttered the darkest cloud.
The storm well remembered the story of that puppy born on the day of the lightning. So, instead of roaring loudly, it began to speak: "Um... sorry to bother you. Can I come quietly? I don't want to... um... scare you."
Lightning's eyes widened. For the first time, it wasn't him who was afraid: it was the storm! So he decided to be brave. He walked to the center of the meadow, raised his head, and said, "Go ahead, but leave some rain for the garden."
The storm, all embarrassed, dropped a few light drops, then went away muttering to itself: “What a strange dog… he won’t run away even with the thunder!”
From that day on, Lampo was no longer afraid. In fact, every time he saw dark clouds, he went out to wait for them, certain that the storm would pass slowly, just so as not to disturb him.
Moral:
Sometimes, what scares us just needs us to show it a little courage… or kindness.
