By the time Little Cloud reached the world below, night had already fallen. And the pink ribbon Lady Sunset had given her was gone. “Oh no—my ribbon!” Little Cloud had just landed on Mimi’s windowsill when she began spinning around in a panic. The thin, soft pink ribbon floated here and there in the wind, flying past the window and down into the dark garden.

Little Cloud froze. Without the ribbon, she might never find her way back to the Cloud Kingdom. Just then, a small face pressed close to the window. “Who are you?” Mimi stared, wide-eyed, at the tiny white cloud inside the raindrop.

Little Cloud tried her best to stand up straight. “My name is Little Cloud. I come from the Cloud Kingdom.” Mimi forgot to blink. “The Cloud Kingdom is real? Then why did the Rainbow Bridge disappear?” Mimi asked.

Little Cloud lowered her head. “Because the seven lights inside the heart have grown dim.” “The lights inside the heart?” “Yes,” Little Cloud said softly. “Red means courage. Orange means warmth. Yellow means hope. Green means forgiveness. Cyan means honesty. Blue means calm. Purple means imagination."

Mimi listened carefully. “So what do we do now?” Little Cloud looked down at the dark garden below. “First, I have to find my pink ribbon.” Mimi pulled her shoulders up. She was afraid of the dark. At night, the trees looked like tall monsters, and the clothesline looked like a long, thin snake.

Suddenly—WHOOSH! A loud sound came from the garden. Something jerked and swayed. Mimi nearly jumped. “Wh-what was that?” Little Cloud curled into a tiny puff. In the darkness, a tall shadow was moving, making a creak-creak-creak sound. Mimi’s heart thumped fast.

Mimi was so scared she wanted to run. But Little Cloud whispered, “The ribbon… I think it’s over there.” Mimi looked at Little Cloud, who was trembling but still brave. Mimi slowly tightened her hand around a small flashlight. “I… I’ll go with you.” She opened the back door.

The night wind was cool, and the grass was wet. Step by step, Mimi walked into the garden. Little Cloud hid in Mimi’s pocket, with only one small white edge peeking out. The tall dark shadow came closer and closer. Creak. Creak. It was still swaying.

Mimi was so nervous that her breathing grew quiet. She lifted the flashlight and shone the beam straight ahead—it was only the shadow of a tree! The wind was blowing its branches, and the leaves were swaying back and forth. Mimi and Little Cloud both let out a long breath in relief.

But the very next moment—rustle, rustle, rustle! The grass moved again. Something dashed quickly through it. Mimi quickly shone the flashlight toward the sound. A chubby little cat was crouching behind the flowers, flicking its tail. Mimi laughed, “It’s even calmer than we are!”

The garden did not seem quite as scary now. They kept searching. At last, beside a red flower, Mimi saw a small pink glow. “There it is!” Little Cloud jumped up at once. The pink ribbon was hanging from a petal, sparkling with drops of night dew.

Mimi quickly reached out. But just before her fingers touched the ribbon—whoosh! A gust of wind blew past, and the ribbon flew up again, floating toward a drain. Mimi forgot to be afraid and hurried after it. Splash! She stepped into the wet grass and caught the ribbon.

“I got it!” Mimi panted, holding the ribbon close. Little Cloud was so happy she almost floated away. “Thank you, Mimi!” Mimi gently touched Little Cloud in her pocket. Just then, the red flower beside them suddenly glowed, and a tiny red light flew out from its petals, circling Mimi.

Far, far above the clouds, the gray bridge gate suddenly lit up with a touch of red. In Cloud Square, Drip was so happy that little raindrops fell from his eyes. Rumble was so excited he nearly made thunder. Elder Cloud nodded gently. “Red Courage has returned.”

Mimi whispered, “I know what courage is now. It is feeling afraid, but still taking one small step forward.” Little Cloud thought for a moment and added, “And it is reaching out a hand when you see a friend who is afraid.” Mimi nodded. “And it is walking a little closer, so you can see what is really hiding in the dark.”