Calimero

### **Calimero and the Adventure of the Broken Dam**

In a small, quiet town called Hatchington, lived a peculiar little chick named Calimero. Unlike the other chicks, Calimero was black, with a tiny eggshell sitting crookedly on his head. It wasn’t something he chose—he’d been born that way after an accidental tumble into muddy water. Despite the teasing from other animals, Calimero’s heart was warm and full of courage.

One bright morning, Calimero met his best friend, Priscilla, at the town square. She was a lively pink-winged chick with a big heart and an even bigger smile. Today, she seemed more excited than usual. “Calimero!” she chirped, “Guess what? Giuliano, Peter, and I found something amazing by the river! You have to come see it!”

Calimero’s eyes sparkled with curiosity, and he eagerly followed Priscilla. She led him down the narrow, winding paths of Hatchington until they reached the edge of the riverbank. There, by the flowing water, stood Giuliano—a strong-willed friend of Calimero—and Peter, a clumsy but kind green duck. Between them lay the old, cracked remains of a wooden dam that stretched across the river.

“Look at this thing,” Giuliano said, inspecting the splintered wood. “It’s so old! But if it breaks, it could flood the whole town!”

Peter’s feathers ruffled with nervousness as he peered at the dam. “We have to do something about it! But I don’t know what…”

Calimero, ever the brave one, stepped forward, scratching his head beneath his eggshell. “Then let’s fix it!” he declared, his voice bright with determination. “If we work together, we can save Hatchington from flooding!”

Despite his small size, Calimero’s confidence was infectious, and his friends nodded in agreement. Together, they decided to meet back at their secret hideout, where Calimero’s great-great-grandfather had left behind a collection of old, clever inventions.

Their hideout was nestled deep in the woods, hidden behind a curtain of vines and tall grass. Inside, shelves were lined with blueprints, mysterious gadgets, and dusty tools. Calimero rifled through the inventions, searching for something that could help them fix the dam.

“Here!” Calimero exclaimed, pulling out a small, rusted metal box. He pressed a button on the side, and the box whirred and opened to reveal a strange mechanism that looked like a cross between a hammer and a wrench. “We can use this to reinforce the dam! If we each take a piece, we should be able to patch it up!”

With a newfound sense of purpose, Calimero, Priscilla, Giuliano, and Peter gathered the tools and hurried back to the riverbank. They began working in the sweltering sun, carefully hammering, tightening, and securing each piece of wood on the dam.

But as the afternoon wore on, the project became harder and harder. The dam was bigger than they’d anticipated, and Calimero’s small wings ached as he struggled to hold the tools steady. He glanced at the river, imagining what might happen if they failed. The thought made his heart sink.

Priscilla noticed Calimero’s worried expression and gave him a reassuring smile. “Don’t give up, Calimero. You’re doing great. We all believe in you.”

Bolstered by her words, Calimero pushed himself to keep going. Together, the friends reinforced each beam, working as a team to ensure no cracks were left behind. As dusk fell, their work was nearly done, and the dam looked sturdier than ever.

Just as they were about to finish, a loud CRACK echoed through the air. One of the main beams they had fixed splintered and shifted, sending a jolt of panic through the friends. Water began to leak through the cracks, threatening to pour over the edges of the dam.

“This is too much!” Calimero cried, feeling helpless for a moment. But he took a deep breath, glancing at his friends. He remembered all they had done to reach this point, the laughter and encouragement that had kept them going.

“We can do this!” he yelled, his voice strong. “Let’s use the last beams and seal it up one more time!”

Rallying together, Priscilla, Giuliano, and Peter grabbed the remaining pieces of wood and hammered them over the crack. With a final push, they tightened the last bolt, sealing the dam just as the first stars began to appear in the evening sky.

They collapsed onto the grass, panting and covered in sawdust but feeling triumphant. “We did it,” Priscilla said softly, her voice filled with pride.

Calimero looked up at the dam, which stood tall and strong, holding back the river’s current. He realized that, despite his small size and the doubts he’d felt, they had succeeded by working together.

As they lay there, gazing at the stars, Giuliano sat up and laughed. “I knew you’d come up with something, Calimero. That brain of yours is as strong as any of these beams!”

Peter nodded, his usual nervousness replaced with a soft smile. “And you’re braver than anyone I know,” he said. “We couldn’t have done it without you.”

Calimero’s cheeks flushed, and he smiled beneath his little eggshell. “We did this together,” he replied, feeling the warmth of his friends’ words wrap around him like a blanket.

As they walked back to Hatchington under the night sky, Calimero felt a sense of pride and joy he had never felt before. In that moment, he understood that even when things seemed “too much,” he had the courage and the friends to get through it. And with them by his side, he knew he could face any adventure Hatchington might hold.

— 

The town of Hatchington slept peacefully that night, unaware of the young heroes who had saved them from disaster. And Calimero, the little black chick with an eggshell hat, drifted off to sleep, dreaming of all the new adventures tomorrow would bring.