Fifi was a small brown squirrel who lived in a pine forest. She loved collecting pinecones on the forest floor.

Every day she watched her brothers and sisters leap from branch to branch. They chattered happily high above her head.

The branches looked so far away. Fifi’s legs would tremble just thinking about climbing.

Instead of climbing, Fifi searched for fallen nuts and berries. She knew the best places to find them.

She had a favorite mossy log where she would sit and nibble her snacks. From there she could look up at the sky.

The other squirrels teased her gently. “Come up here!” they would call. “It’s fun!” But Fifi shook her head.

“I’m happy down here,” she would say. Her friends smiled and didn’t push her to do something she was not ready to do.

One afternoon, Fifi heard a strange tap-tap-tapping sound. She followed the sound to a tree trunk.

A red-headed woodpecker was tapping holes in the bark. He was busy looking for bugs.

“Hello,” Fifi said shyly. The woodpecker stopped and looked down.

“Hello,” he said. “I’m Peck. Why are you on the ground? Aren’t squirrels supposed to climb?”

Fifi felt embarrassed. “I’m afraid of heights,” she whispered. “I like it down here.”

Peck cocked his head. “That’s okay,” he said. “Everyone has something they’re afraid of. Would you like me to show you how I fly?”

Fifi watched as Peck spread his wings and fluttered to a low branch. He hopped back and forth.

“It’s not so far,” he said. “If you try one little hop, I’ll hop with you.”

Fifi shook her head again. “Maybe another day,” she said. Peck nodded and flew back to his work.

A few days later, dark clouds gathered over the pine forest. Rain poured down and filled the small stream that ran through the trees.

The water rose quickly. Fifi felt drops splash her whiskers. “I’ve never seen the water this high,” she said.

Her brothers and sisters scampered down from the trees. “The forest floor is flooding!” they cried.

“Come up with us!” one of them called. They climbed to higher branches to stay dry.

Fifi froze. She felt the cold water around her paws. “I don’t know how!” she squeaked.

At that moment Peck swooped down. “The water will keep rising,” he said gently. “Let’s try together.”

Fifi took a deep breath. Her heart thumped like a drum. She placed her front paws on the tree trunk.

Peck stood beside her on a low root. “We’ll go one step at a time,” he said. “Put your back paw here. That’s right!”

Fifi slowly pulled herself up to the first branch. It was not very high, but it was higher than she had ever been.

She looked down and saw the water swirling below. She wanted to jump back to the ground, but Peck chirped softly.

“Don’t look down,” he said. “Look at the next branch.” He hopped up a little higher and waited for her.

Fifi’s claws dug into the rough bark. She stretched and found another spot for her paws. Up she went.

With each tiny climb, she felt a little more brave. Peck cheered her on quietly.

Soon they reached a branch where Fifi could see her family above her. They waved their tails in encouragement.

“You’re doing it!” her sister called. “Keep going!”

Fifi climbed again. The branch swayed gently under her weight. “This is like a boat,” she thought. “I love boats.”

Peck led her to a spot where the leaves formed a small nest. Rain dripped around them like a curtain.

“You’re safe here,” Peck said. “The water can’t reach you now.”

Fifi looked down once more. The forest floor was far below and covered in rushing water. She shivered, but she did not feel as afraid as before.

Her brothers and sisters crowded around her, hugging her with their fluffy tails. “Thank you, Peck,” Fifi said.

“You did all the work,” Peck replied. “You faced your fear.”

The rain lasted all night. The squirrels huddled together on the branch. They shared stories and nibbled nuts.

Fifi fell asleep to the sound of the rain and the gentle creak of the tree. She dreamed of climbing mountains made of clouds.

When the sun rose, the floodwater began to go down. The forest floor appeared again, sparkling with puddles.

The squirrels climbed down carefully. Fifi’s heart beat faster as she touched the ground again.

But instead of staying there, she looked up at the branches above. “Let’s go play in the canopy,” she said.

Her siblings cheered. Peck flew down and smiled. “I knew you could do it,” he said.

From then on, Fifi practiced climbing every day. Some days she climbed only a little. Other days she climbed to the tallest branches.

She still felt a flutter in her tummy sometimes, but she knew she could keep going. She had learned that fear can be a friend that tells us to be careful but doesn’t have to stop us.

Fifi and Peck became best friends. They explored the treetops together. Peck showed Fifi hidden hollows full of berries.

Fifi showed Peck the best patches of clover on the ground. They helped each other and laughed a lot.

When the next storm came, Fifi was ready. She climbed to safety with her family and even helped a young squirrel who was afraid.

“You can do it,” she told the little one. “I used to be scared too. Just take it one step at a time.”

The little squirrel smiled and climbed beside Fifi. Together they reached the branch where the others waited.

Everyone cheered. Fifi felt warm and proud inside. She knew that helping others felt just as good as facing her own fears.

Now when she looked up at the tall trees, Fifi didn’t feel small. She felt excited. She knew there were adventures above and below.

And whenever she heard Peck’s tap-tap-tapping, she smiled and waved. Fear had once kept her on the ground, but courage had shown her the sky.