Barnaby the little bear cub loved sunny days, especially when he could play outside with his best friend, Fiona the fox cub. But today, the sky was grey and rain pattered softly against the windowpane. Barnaby saw Fiona sitting on her porch swing, looking very, very sad.
Barnaby padded over, his furry brow furrowed with worry. "What's wrong, Fiona?" he asked gently. Fiona sighed, a little puff of air. "I miss the sunshine," she mumbled. "And I miss playing our game of hide-and-seek. Being inside is boring."
Barnaby wanted to make his friend feel better right away. He thought hard. "I know!" he said brightly. "I can tell you the funniest joke I ever heard!" He told the joke, complete with wiggles and silly faces. But Fiona only managed a small, wobbly smile.
Barnaby tried again. "Or!" he exclaimed, reaching into his pocket. "Look at my most sparkly rock! I found it near the Whispering Woods!" He held up the rock, turning it so the dull light caught a tiny twinkle. Fiona looked, but her eyes still held that cloudy sadness.
Barnaby felt a little slump in his shoulders. It was hard to make Fiona happy today. But she was his friend, and friends try their very best to help each other. Barnaby took a deep breath and thought, 'I won't give up!' He asked her again, "What would make you feel just a tiny bit better, Fiona?"
Fiona thought for a moment. "Maybe... maybe building something? Like a cozy house?" she suggested softly. Barnaby's face lit up! "A cozy house! Yes! We can build the coziest house ever, right here inside! Let's use blankets!"
They gathered all the softest blankets and pillows. Trying to drape the blankets over chairs to make walls was a little tricky! Sometimes they slipped and tumbled down. Barnaby held one end tight, while Fiona carefully tucked another side. They giggled when a pillow bounced away.
It took a few tries, and they had to hold things just right, but soon they had built a wonderful blanket fort! It was small and warm inside, like a secret cave. They crawled in, pulling the blanket door shut behind them.
Inside their cozy fort, the grey day didn't seem so bad anymore. Fiona smiled a real, bright smile this time. "This is the best cozy house ever, Barnaby," she whispered, snuggling into a pillow. "Thank you for trying so hard to make me feel happy."
Barnaby felt warm all the way down to his paws. Helping his friend felt even better than finding a sparkly rock or hearing a funny joke. They lay side-by-side in their fort, listening to the rain outside and feeling happy and safe together, ready for sleepy time.