Maya's Brave Move

The sun streamed into the lounge room, making dusty sparkles dance in the air. Maya and her little sister, Zoe, were huddled on the big, fluffy rug, playing 'Rainbow Racers'. The colourful spinner whizzed and clicked, and Maya’s little blue car was miles ahead. Maya loved winning; the happy, fizzy feeling it gave her was the best part of any game.

But as Maya’s car zipped closer to the finish line, Zoe’s red car was stuck near the start. Zoe’s shoulders slumped, her bottom lip began to wobble, and two big, shiny tears welled up in her eyes. “I’m always last,” she whispered, her voice shaky. The happy, fizzy feeling in Maya’s tummy suddenly felt flat.

A knot of worry twisted inside Maya. She wanted to win, but she didn’t want Zoe to cry. Maybe if she finished the game super fast, Zoe would forget she was sad? She spun the spinner hard—whizz, click, six! She moved her piece quickly, clattering it onto the next square. But the fast move only made Zoe’s sniffle turn into a quiet sob.

Seeing her sister’s tears, Maya knew what she had to do. It felt scarier than winning, but it was the right kind of scary. It was brave. On her next turn, she landed near a 'Go Back' space. She took a deep breath and said, “Oh! I just remembered a special rule! If you land here, the littlest player gets a surprise extra turn! Your go, Zoe!” Zoe’s head popped up, her teary eyes wide with surprise, and then she broke into a huge, sunny smile.

Zoe spun the spinner with a happy giggle and landed right on the lollypop ladder, shooting her little red car halfway up the board. They finished the game with squeals of laughter, and it didn’t even matter who won in the end. Maya felt a new kind of happy feeling, warm and steady. She had been brave, and making her sister smile felt like the biggest win of all.