Courage

"Courage" title screen

**Courage** is the fifth episode of the first season of Adventures from the Book of Virtues.

## Plot

While taking part in a track meet, Annie ends up tripping over a hurdle, which leaves her hurt and humiliated. Fortunately for her, Plato and the others tell her some stories about having the courage to face the challenges that lie ahead.

## Full Synopsis

Aurora flies over Spring Valley, before she flies towards a running track, where a big event is taking place, that event being that Annie is taking part in a track meet while competing against another girl named Bobbi Mitchell.

    Bobbi wishes Annie good luck, which Annie thanks her for, before an announcer is heard telling the runners to take their marks, while Aurora still watches. Soon, the starting pistol goes off, as Annie and Bobbi start running, jumping over hurdles, while Aurora cheers on Annie. Annie and Bobbi approach the next hurdle, but while Bobbi is able to jump over it with ease, Annie ends up hitting her foot against the hurdle, which causes her to trip and fall while the hurdle gets knocked over as well, which leaves Annie hurt.

    Aurora sees this as she becomes sad, with Annie still laying on the track while Bobbi is able to win easily. Aurora then flies away, while Annie starts pounding on the track in frustration, while a tear streams down her face.
Meanwhile, up at Plato's Peak, Plato is inspecting a scroll, when a loud roar is suddenly from outside as Plato goes to investigate. When Plato exits the cave, he sees what looks like a monster, which frightens him, before the monster is revealed to be Zach wearing a mask to play a joke on Plato. Once the truth has come out, Plato tells Zach to be careful with the mask because it's very old and that it's a find, which Zach agrees with before telling Plato that it found him scared. Suddenly, Socrates is heard asking if someone said 'scared', before coming up to Plato and Zach while proclaiming that he doesn't know the meaning of the word and that nothing scares him.

    However, he is immediately proven wrong when the ground starts shaking, which scares him into thinking that there's an earthquake, before a mound of dirt causes him to lose his balance and fall over. The mound of dirt is revealed to have been caused by Aristotle, who was tunneling through the ground once again as he asks what's going on, before Zach and Plato laugh again, while Zach teases Sock about nothing scaring him. Ari then asks what he did, just as Sock picks himself up, before Annie then walks past them while glumly asking if there's any room for her down in that hole.
Plato then tells Annie that Aurora told them about what happened with that one hurdle, while Annie sadly states that they actually expect her to get back in the track and run again.

     Aurora then tells Annie that at least she'll have a second chance to show them what she can do, but Annie tells her to forget it because she's afraid that the same thing will happen again, while adding that it's not just the hurdle but rather Bobbi, whom she refers to as a "ten-year-old speed bump". Zach recognizes Bobbi as the state champ who won in the last three years before telling Annie that it's no wonder that she's scared, while Annie tells Zach that he'd be scared too. Plato tells Annie that he knows how she feels, and mustering up the courage to face something tough isn't easy, at least, that's what Theseus found out.

     When Annie questions about who Theseus is, Plato answers that Theseus was a young man who lived in Ancient Greece who had to face a monster, which Zach thinks is really cool when he hears this. Because of that, Ari then goes to get the book, and after some difficulty, Ari manages to retrieve the Book of Virtues before giving it to Plato, who is able to find the story that he was talking about.

Story #1: Theseus and the Minotaur

After the story ends, Ari, who has been holding up the book while Plato was reading the story, is unable to hold it up any longer as he comments that it's a heavy story. Zach then quips that Theseus wasn't afraid of anything, even a monster. Annie then tells Zach that Ariadne was just as brave as Theseus, before Aurora points out that Theseus and Ariadne were both brave and that they were probably both afraid too, but they still did what was right even in spite of their fears, which Plato agrees with. Despite this, Annie sadly says that she wishes she had that kind of courage, but she's too afraid to face that hurdle again, or even Bobbi Mitchell.

     Zach then tells Annie that if it were him, he'd be able to blow Bobbi right off the track. Ari then tells Zach that it's easy to talk brave, but skinning the cat is a whole another thing, which offends Sock upon hearing this, before Ari assures him that it's just a figure of speech. Ari then decides to tell everyone a story about some brave mice who had a big cat problem, then tells everyone to follow him. Because of that, Zach and Annie follow Ari to another wall that also has drawings carved into it, before Ari presents to them some drawings of a cat and a mouse.

Story #2: The Brave Mice

After the story ends, Ari points out that talking brave and being brave are two completely different things, while Plato praises Ari for being as eloquent as his namesake, the great philosopher.

     Annie then says that even if she hung a bell around Bobbi Mitchell's neck, she still wouldn't be able to beat her. Aurora then tells Annie not to psyche herself out because it's okay to be afraid but it doesn't mean that you can't go out there and do your best, adding to just stay calm and use your head, like the famous archer. Because of that, Ari immediately brings out the Book of Virtues again while trying to look up the famous archer that Aurora mentioned, going through various names such as "William Apple" and "Willem Tabbit", before Plato is able to remember who Aurora is referring to.

Story #3: William Tell

After the story ends, Plato states that Switzerland was formed, all because William Tell was a good shot, according to Ari, before Plato informs him that it was much more than just that, adding that whether it's a bully or a monster, or even a hurdle in a race, sometimes you have to listen to that inner voice that tells you the right thing to do. Because of that, Annie then tells the others that she has a race to run, while the others cheer her on as she leaves. Zach comments that Annie will do okay, which Plato agrees with, before pointing out that the brave aren't born that way, they grow courageous through their acts.

     Because of that, Plato recites the poem If by Rudyard Kipling, while Annie is once again taking part in the race against Bobbi, with Aurora and Zach watching. This time, Annie is able to jump the hurdle without fear or without tripping over it.

## Characters

* Annie Redfeather
* Zach Nichols
* Plato
* Aurora
* Aristotle
* Socrates