A big dog is lying in front of the kiosk. Laura und Tommy do not dare pass it on the way to get ice cream. On the way home, without any ice cream, they meet their mother, who bought new shoes. They find a little bag with powder in the shoe carton. "Sprinkle a pinch of ‘magic powder’ into each shoe and you will experience a unique feeling in your feet. You will feel full of life and everyone will notice how firmly grounded and strong you are!" it says. Mom explains that it is an advertising gimmick, but the kids are firmly convinced that it is a magic powder. They sprinkle it in their shoes, and sure enough: It makes them strong and brave. Thanks to the powder, the big dog does not bother them any more. Laura dreams of a zoo visit where she plays with the lion and brushes the crocodile’s teeth. The children divide the powder. Laura wants to have more of the powder and cheats her brother by pretending that sugar is magic powder. She wants to talk to the star that night, but it does not comment on the magic powder. Instead, the clouds cover the stars. As Tommy suddenly loses his fear of the storm and is even cocky to Harry, Laura starts to get queasy. She confesses that she cheated. At first he is angry and disappointed, but his parents help him and Laura understand that the courage is inside HIM, which is much better than if it were in a powder. Laura explains to her mother, “I sort of believed that it was not a magic powder, but now I believe it even more.“
