Once, in a valley woven with silver streams, lived a bright-eyed duck named Dabble. Dabble was not an ordinary duck. While others dabbled in the shallows, Dabble dreamed of the world beyond the reeds.

One morning, a flock of geese soared by, calling, “There’s a sage atop Misty Peak who knows the secrets of the sky!”

Curiosity fluttered inside Dabble’s heart. “What does the sky hold? Can I ever reach it?”

Determined to find out, Dabble waddled out of the pond and began the long march toward Misty Peak.

The journey was not an easy one. The path twisted through thorny brambles, and the mountain air grew thin and cool. Dabble nearly turned back when a storm cloud frowned overhead, but she remembered the flying geese and pressed on.

Finally, after many hours, Dabble found herself at the foot of a twisted willow tree. There, sitting cross-legged on a stone, was the sage—a gentle old turtle wearing a crown of moss and a robe stitched from fallen leaves.

"Welcome, little duck,” rumbled the Sage. “To climb so high, you must have great purpose."

Dabble gulped and fluffed her feathers. "I wish to know the secrets of the sky. Will I ever fly high like the geese?"

The Sage smiled, eyes twinkling like dewdrops. “Tell me, Dabble, why do you wish to fly so high?”

Dabble pondered. “To see what lies beyond the clouds. To explore the world and bring wonderful stories home."

The Sage nodded. "Then your wings are not all that matter. Let me show you something."

He beckoned Dabble closer. “Look out over the valley,” he said. “What do you see?”

Dabble peered through the mist. She saw her home pond below, the winding river, and meadows dotted with wildflowers. From here, it all looked small and grand at the same time.

"It’s beautiful,” whispered Dabble.

The Sage smiled. “Wisdom is like the sky—vast, but clear when you climb high enough. It’s not the flying that matters, but the courage to seek and the heart to share."

Dabble’s eyes widened with understanding. She realized she did not need to fly as high as the geese to bring home wonders—her journey, and what she saw from the peak, were wonders enough.

The Sage reached into a pouch and pulled out a tiny feather, shimmering gold. “Take this, little duck. When you tell your stories, let it remind you that you are as brave as any bird in the sky."

Dabble thanked the Sage, tucking the feather into her downy chest. She skipped, hopped, and waddled all the way home, where the other ducks gathered to hear her tale.

From that day on, Dabble became the valley’s storyteller. She spoke of brambles and storms, of mountain-top wisdom and the kindness of a turtle Sage. And every duck, no matter how small, dreamed of new journeys.

And sometimes, on misty mornings, Dabble would look up at Misty Peak, the golden feather gleaming at her heart, and know that her dreams were as boundless as the sky.

A brave duck seeks wisdom from a mysterious sage on a misty mountain.