Hello, friends, and welcome to Sleep Tight Stories.
Ellie has had an unusual dream and asks her mother about it as she is sitting by her bedroom window.
Her mother tells her some questions are more wonderful than their answers.
Ellie loved mornings, especially the quiet ones, when the whole world seemed to be waking up just for her.
She would sit by her bedroom window with a warm cup of milk, watching the sun paint the sky in all kinds of rainbow -like colors.
But she felt different this morning.
As Ellie rubbed her sleepy eyes, she couldn't shake the most wonderful, puzzling feeling.
Good morning, sunshine, said her mother as she poked her head into her room.
You're up super early today.
Did you sleep well?
Ellie tilted her head, her curly hair covering her eyes.
Mommy, I had an amazing dream.
But now, I'm not sure if it was a dream, or if maybe this is the dream.
Am I awake? Her mother sat down beside her on the window seat, her face showing just how much she loved Ellie's curiosity.
That sounds like quite a mystery.
Tell me about it. Ellie took a sip of her milk and gazed out at the garden.
In my dream, I wasn't Ellie at all.
I was a little girl named Luna, and I lived in a village by the sea where the houses were painted every color you could imagine.
Bright purple, sunny yellow, ocean blue.
She paused to take another sip.
Luna had a grandmother who taught her to paint with starlight and a pet hermit crab named Whiskers who could sing lullabies.
Every morning, Luna would collect shells that whispered stories of faraway lands.
hands. Her mother nodded.
That sounds like a beautiful place to visit in a dream.
But Mommy, that's just it, Ellie said, her voice growing more excited.
It didn't feel like visiting.
It felt like living.
When I was Luna, I could taste the salt in the air and feel the warm sand between my toes.
I remember learning to ride a bicycle with training wheels that looked like a seahorse.
I remembered the day Whiskers first sang to me and how Grandmummy's eyes crinkled when she laughed.
Ellie set down her cup and looked directly at her mother.
If that was just a dream, why do I remember being Luna more clearly than I remember yesterday.
And if this is real?
She gestured around her cozy bedroom with its familiar stuffed animals and books.
Then why does being Ellie feel just as dreamy?
Her mother sat quietly for a moment, gathering her thoughts as she watched a blue jay land on the bird feeder outside.
outside. You know, Elly, some questions are more wonderful than their answers.
What do you mean? Well, her mother said, whether you're Elly who dreamed of being Luna, or Luna who's dreaming of being Elly, one thing is absolutely certain.
What's that? that? Her mother smiled and gave her a little hug.
You're you. The same curious, kind, imaginative person who notices beautiful things and asks important questions.
That part doesn't change, no matter which world you're in.
Ellie leaned against her mother's shoulder, thinking.
thinking. So maybe it doesn't matter which one is the dream?
Maybe the magic is that both feel real, Mama suggested.
Maybe Luna's adventures by the sea and Ellie's life here are both true in their own special ways.
Ellie picked up her favorite stuffed elephant, Mr. Snuffy, and hugged him close.
Do you think Luna has a stuffed animal, too?
What do you think? Mama asked.
Ellie closed her eyes and smiled.
She has a stuffed seahorse named Melody.
It's made from a piece of her grandmother's old fishing net, and it smells like ocean breezes.
And when Luna holds Melody, does she feel safe and happy?
Yes, Ellie whispered, just like I do with Mr. Snuffy.
Her mother stood up and brushed Ellie's hair back.
See? Some things stay the same across dreams and all worlds.
Love, curiosity, the feeling of being safe with someone who cares about you.
Ellie nodded. Mommy, do you think I'll dream about Luna again tonight?
night? I don't know, her mother said, but I do know that whether you're dreaming of Luna or Luna is dreaming of you, both of you will fall asleep knowing you're loved and safe.
As her mother headed downstairs to start breakfast, Ellie remained by the window.
She watched a butterfly dance around the morning glories in their garden, garden, its wings catching the light like little tiny pieces of stained glass.
Maybe, she whispered to Mr. Snuffy, the butterfly dreams it's a flower and the flower dreams they're butterflies.
Maybe the whole world is just one big, beautiful dream and we're all sharing it together.
together. The butterfly landed on her windowsill for just a moment as if it had heard her.
Ellie laughed. Good morning, little dreamer, she said to the butterfly.
I hope your dreams are as wonderful as mine.
Then she hugged Mr. Snuffy tighter and headed downstairs, where the smell of pancakes and the sound of her mother humming filled the air.
Whether Whether this was Ellie's real life or Luna's beautiful dream, it felt perfectly, wonderfully true.
And maybe, Ellie thought as she helped her mother flip pancakes, that was all that really mattered.
Later that day when Ellie's friend Emma came over to play, Ellie shared her morning mystery with her.
So you don't know if you're really Ellie or really Luna?
Tuna? Emma asked, hammering another nail into the birdhouse they were building together in the backyard. That's right, Ellie said, carefully holding the wooden pieces steady.
But I decided it's okay not to know.
Emma considered this thoughtfully.
My grandpa says some questions are like seeds.
You plant them in your mind, and they grow into even more interesting thoughts.
I like that, Ellie said.
Maybe my dream question will grow into something amazing.
As the sun began to set, painting the sky in the same soft colors of the rainbow Ellie had seen that morning, she felt grateful for the mystery, instead of confused by it.
Some things were more beautiful when you didn't have all the answers.
That night, as Ellie drifted off to sleep with Mr. Snuffy tucked safely in her arms, she whispered, Sweet dreams, Luna.
Sweet dreams, Ellie.
Sweet dreams, whoever we really are.
And in her dreams, or perhaps in Luna's dreams, she heard the gentle sound of waves and the soft song of a hermit crab named Whiskers welcoming her home.
And that is the end of our story Good night Sleep tight Thank you.
