"Mia and the Bravest Roar"

In a small house with a purple door lived a girl called Mia. Mia was four years old, and she knew the names of more dinosaurs than anyone on her street. Every morning she marched around the garden, stomping like a triceratops, roaring her very best roar.

Her best friend marched beside her. He was a small green triceratops named Tris, just the right size for hugging. Tris loved puddles, purple flowers and Mia. But today Tris walked slowly. His tummy rumbled in a worried way, and his three horns drooped low.

Behind the garden gate, something glowed. The gate creaked open onto a sunlit valley where friendly dinosaurs munched and rumbled. 'Dr. Bronto can help Tris,' said a passing stegosaurus. Mia took a big breath. 'Brave is a thing you can practice,' she whispered, and stepped through.

The path to Dr. Bronto's clinic crossed a long, wobbly bridge. The wind made it sway like a swing. Tris hid behind Mia's legs. 'We will hold on and count our steps,' said Mia. One, two, three... they counted all the way to the other side.

Then came the rain, warm and loud, drumming on the leaves. Mia and Tris sheltered under a fern as big as an umbrella. Waiting is hard when your tummy feels worried. So Mia sang the stomping song, and Tris tapped his feet until the sun came back.

The clinic stood inside a hollow hill, with a door tall enough for a brontosaurus. The waiting room was full of very big dinosaurs with very small sniffles. Everyone was quiet. Mia felt small and shy, so she squeezed Tris close and found two seats by the window.

A kind nurse called their names. Tris trembled. His horns went tap-tap-tap on the floor. Mia knelt beside him and looked into his round eyes. 'Brave is a thing you can practice,' she said. 'We can practice together. You first, and I will hold your paw the whole time.'

Dr. Bronto was enormous and gentle, with glasses on the very end of her nose. She listened to Tris's tummy with a leafy stethoscope. 'Too many mud berries,' she smiled. 'Some minty leaves and a good night's sleep.' Tris let out a happy, rumbly sigh.

'Now,' said Dr. Bronto, 'who else is due for a checkup?' The room went quiet. Mia's heart went thump. Doctors' rooms felt scary even here, with the funny lights and the tools she did not know. She thought about running back over the wobbly bridge.

Then Mia felt a small green paw take her hand. Tris nodded, the way she had nodded at him. Mia climbed onto the big leaf chair all by herself. 'Ready,' she said, in a voice that only wobbled a little. And the checkup did not hurt at all.

Just then a baby dino peeked in, eyes wide and scared. Mia hopped down and showed him the leafy stethoscope. 'It just listens,' she said. 'It tickles, and then you get a berry.' The baby dino giggled, climbed up, and was brave too. Dr. Bronto winked at Mia.

That evening Mia and Tris marched home through the garden gate, two checkups braver than before. 'My roar feels bigger,' said Mia. Tris agreed with a rumble. Because brave is a thing you can practice, and Mia was practicing every single day. The end.