Older sister
Maja is a girl who sees beauty where others don't look for it — in a cracked cup, in rain running down the window, in the color of the sky five minutes before sunset. She doesn't show her secret notebook to anyone, but inside it are stories and drawings that would make even the hardest heart cry. Sometimes she pretends her brothers get on her nerves, but the truth is she'd do anything for Vito and Pino. She can't stand rudeness and shallowness — when someone speaks loudly but says nothing, Maja quietly leaves.
It was a typical afternoon in Vallumora when Maria noticed Loli was missing. "Loli!" Maria called out, but there was no response. Vito started crying, while Pino nervously paced in the kitchen. "Where's Loli?" asked a worried Pino. No one had an answer. "We have to find her!" declared Maja, already sketching a poster with Loli's picture. But as they gathered to discuss the search plan, they heard an unusual sound coming from the attic...
Maja stood beneath the stars, sketching their sparkle in her notebook, while Pino wrestled with his fear. Gabriel led them further into the forest, where the noises grew more mysterious and unfamiliar. Suddenly, a strange sound filled the air, stopping Pino in his tracks.
Maja was a girl who was afraid of the dark. Every night, when her mom turned off the light, Maja would dive under the blanket and wait for morning. But there was a peculiar old lady living on her street — Aunt Margareta — who had the most beautiful garden in the whole town. The problem was Aunt Margareta never worked in her garden during the day. Never. Neighbors whispered about it. "We saw her digging at midnight." "Planting flowers at three in the morning." "Watering roses under the stars." Everyone thought she was strange. One night, when Maja woke up at three a.m. and couldn't sleep from fear, she looked out the window. She saw Mrs. Margareta kneeling in her garden, hands in the soil, and — singing. The next morning, Maja knocked on her door. "Mrs. Rose, why do you work in the garden only at night?" The old lady looked at her with warm eyes and said, "Because at night, plants do something miraculous that people don't know. And when I show you, you'll never be afraid of the dark again."
Maja inherited her grandfather's pocket watch. It was old, scratched, and — it was running late. Exactly three minutes every day. "Mom, why did grandpa leave me a broken watch?" Maja asked one evening as they sat on the balcony. Eva took the watch in her hands, turned it over, and showed her the back. There was a small engraving that Maja had noticed before but never read. The letters were tiny, worn from years of wear. Maja brought the watch closer to her eyes and began to read. When she finished, her hands were trembling. "Mom... this can't be true?" Eva simply nodded. "Your grandfather, Otto, told me this story only once. On the day I got married. He said a day would come when you would be ready to hear it too. I think today is that day."
Little Maja ran to her grandpa Otto's workshop every day after school. She loved watching his skilled hands turn pieces of wood into beautiful, functional objects. One rainy afternoon, as the rain drummed on the tin roof of the workshop, Maja noticed something intriguing. Otto was sitting in his chair, with Jole, their loyal dog, lying on the floor beside him, while Loli, their cat, sat on the window sill, observing the outside world. “Grandpa Otto,” Maja asked, “can you tell me a story?” Otto smiled, wiped his hands on his apron, and sat down beside her. “Of course, Maja. Do you know the story of the old potter and his cracked pot?” Maja raised her eyebrows curiously, and Otto continued...
