In a small village surrounded by mountains and tall trees, there was a lake that everyone knew as Mirror Lake. Its waters were so clear that they reflected the sky as if it were a giant mirror. But the strangest thing about the lake was something only a few people knew: on it floated an invisible ship, a ship that only those who still believed in dreams could see.
Angelina was a ten-year-old girl who used to daydream all the time. She dreamed of being an explorer, of flying among the stars, or of finding hidden treasures. But lately, something had changed. The teasing from other kids at school and boring homework had made her stop imagining things. She no longer thought about adventures or impossible wishes. For Angelina, dreaming seemed useless.
One afternoon, while walking along the lake to clear her mind, something strange happened. The water began to shine with silvery flashes, as if thousands of fireflies were dancing beneath the surface. Suddenly, right in front of her, the silhouette of a ship appeared. It wasn’t like any ship she had ever seen before. It was large, with sails that looked like they were made of clouds, and it floated silently. Most surprising of all was that, although she could see it clearly, when she looked back, she noticed no one else on the shore seemed to notice it.
“What are you doing here?” asked a voice behind her.
Angelina quickly turned around and saw a boy her age, with messy hair and a mischievous smile. He carried a backpack full of strange toys and a notebook filled with drawings.
“I… I don’t know. I saw this ship and…” Angelina stammered.
“Oh, so you can see it too,” said the boy, as if it were completely normal. “I’m Daniel. Come on, get on board, we don’t have time to waste.”
Before she could ask anything else, Daniel was already climbing aboard. Angelina followed him, feeling a mix of curiosity and nerves. When she stepped onto the ship, it trembled softly, as if it were alive, and then began to move on its own, gliding across the water without oars or engines.
Inside the ship, Angelina discovered they weren’t alone. There were other children, each with their own story. There was Lucía, who wanted to be a painter but had stopped drawing because her parents said it wouldn’t put food on the table. And there was Martín, who dreamed of being a musician but had put his guitar away after someone told him he had no talent. They all had something in common: they had lost faith in their dreams.
The ship, which seemed to know exactly where to go, sailed across the lake until it reached a small island in the middle of the water. Instead of trees and flowers, bubbles floated everywhere. They were bright-colored bubbles, and inside each one was a different dream. Some showed enormous castles, others unknown planets, and others happy people doing what they loved.
“These are the bubbles of broken dreams,” explained Daniel. “This is where the wishes we stop believing in end up.”
Angelina looked at the bubbles in amazement. In one of them, she saw a version of herself exploring jungles and mountains. In another, she was painting vibrant, colorful pictures. Each bubble seemed to show something she had once wished for but had forgotten.
“Why are they here?” asked Lucía, touching a bubble floating nearby.
“Because they stopped believing in them,” replied a soft voice. It was an old woman who appeared suddenly, sitting on a moss-covered rock. She wore a long, shiny dress, as if it were made of stars.
“I am the Guardian of Dreams,” said the old woman. “And you have been brought here because you still have something important to learn.”
The children looked at each other, confused.
“Dreams don’t always come true the way we expect,” continued the Guardian. “Sometimes things don’t work out, or they take much longer than we imagined. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t worth it. What’s important isn’t reaching the dream, but everything we learn while trying to get there.”
The Guardian asked them each to choose a bubble. Angelina picked the one where she saw herself exploring the world. Lucía chose one where she painted a huge picture, and Martín selected one where he played his guitar in front of an excited crowd.
When they touched the bubbles, they gently burst, releasing tiny lights that floated toward the sky. Suddenly, the children felt something warm in their hearts, as if a spark that had been extinguished had reignited.
“It’s time to go back,” said the Guardian, pointing to the ship.
Back on the lake, the ship began to slowly fade away. Before it disappeared completely, the Guardian said:
“Remember, the act of dreaming is what gives color to life. It doesn’t matter if not everything turns out as expected. What matters is never stopping trying.”
When Angelina stepped onto the shore of the lake, the ship was gone. But something inside her had changed. She felt like drawing, writing stories, and imagining new worlds. The other children also seemed different. Lucía started painting again, and Martín took his guitar out of the closet.
From that day on, Angelina understood that dreams are not just wishes waiting to be fulfilled. They are like compasses that guide us, teach us, and help us discover who we are. And even though sometimes things don’t turn out as we hope, the simple act of dreaming makes life more magical.
Since then, every time Angelina looked at the lake, she remembered the Ship of Floating Dreams and smiled, knowing that, though invisible, it would always be there, ready to take those who believed in dreams on new adventures.
End. ⛵
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