In Breathing Land, there was a little songbird named Bella who went to Breathing School. Bella had the most beautiful voice, and every morning and evening, her songs filled the air. Everyone would stop what they were doing just to listen. Bella wasn’t just a great singer—she could learn new songs super fast. While others had to practice for a long time, Bella could sing perfectly after hearing a song just once. Everyone admired Bella, thinking she was super talented, and Bella proudly said it was just something she was born with.
But the truth was, Bella worked hard in secret. She got up before sunrise every day to flap her wings and jump thousands of times to make her lungs stronger. Whenever she heard a new song she liked, she’d sneak off to the marshes in Breathing Land and practice over and over until she got it just right. Bella didn’t want anyone to see her practicing—she thought it was cooler if everyone believed she was naturally perfect.
One day, Bella was showing off a new song to her friends. Hugo, amazed, said, “You’re amazing, Bella! This song is so hard, but you got it after just one listen. I can never remember all the notes.” Bella puffed up proudly and said, “It’s just natural talent.” But Benny suddenly jumped in and said, “Bella, you’re not telling the whole story! I saw you practicing that song over and over yesterday. Why don’t you tell everyone?”
Bella felt embarrassed and upset. “There was no one in the marshes—how did you know?” she asked. Benny grinned and said, “I was pretending to be a bush yesterday to see if I could talk to trees, and I ended up looking just like the bush you were hiding behind. So, I saw you.”
Bella flew off, crying until it got dark. Benny found her and apologized, saying, “I’m sorry I told your secret. But why don’t you want anyone to know how hard you work?” Bella sniffled and said, “It just doesn’t seem cool. If Hugo practiced as much as I do, he could sing as well as me, and then I wouldn’t be special anymore.”
Benny thought for a moment and said, “I don’t think our friends see it that way. Why don’t we find out?” The next day, Benny gave Bella a special disguise that turned her into a bush, and they hid together to listen to what their friends were saying.
Their friends were puzzled about why Bella was upset. Bonnie guessed, “Maybe Bella thinks working hard isn’t cool?” Hugo quickly disagreed, “No way! That makes her even cooler! I could never work that hard just to get better at singing.” Kyle nodded and said, “I already miss hearing Bella sing today. Knowing how much she practices to share her songs with us makes me appreciate her even more. She’s an even better friend because of it.”
Hearing this, Benny nudged Bella and said, “See? I told you—you’re even cooler now that they know the truth!”
From then on, Bella kept singing, but she didn’t hide her hard work anymore. Every morning, her friends could see her by the pond, flapping her wings and practicing her songs. Bella felt peaceful, surrounded by her music, with her heart full of happiness.