The Fairy's Lost Star
Mia was lying in bed when she saw a tiny light at the window. It bobbed like a firefly, but softer. She sat up. The light tapped the glass three times. Tap, tap, tap. Mia opened the window, and in flew a fairy no bigger than her thumb. The fairy had wings like dewdrops and a worried face.
"I've lost my bedtime star," the fairy said. Her voice was like a whisper made of bells. "Without it, I can't help the flowers close for the night. Will you help me look?" Mia nodded. She slipped on her slippers. The fairy's glow made a little circle of light on the floor, just enough to see by.
They looked under the bed. They found a marble and a sock, but no star. They looked in the toy chest. They found a stuffed rabbit and three crayons, but no star. "Where did you last see it?" Mia asked. The fairy thought hard. "I was sitting on your bookshelf, reading the moon," she said.
Mia walked to the bookshelf. The fairy flew beside her ear. On the top shelf, behind a book about whales, something glinted. Mia reached up. Her fingers closed around something smooth and warm. She pulled it out. It was a star the size of a button, glowing pale gold.
"You found it!" the fairy cried. She took the star in both hands and it pulsed brighter, then settled to a steady glow. "Thank you, Mia. Now the roses can sleep, and the daisies, and the clover." She kissed Mia's cheek. It felt like the brush of a petal.
"Will you come back?" Mia asked. The fairy smiled. "Every night I fly past. You just have to look." She flew to the window. Outside, the garden glowed faintly as flowers folded their petals. The fairy waved once, then zipped into the dark like a falling star going up.
Mia closed the window. Her room felt softer now, like the whole world was tucking itself in. She climbed into bed and pulled the blanket to her chin. Outside, one star blinked low and slow. Mia blinked back. Then she closed her eyes.
The fairy's glow stayed in her mind as she drifted off, a little night-light behind her eyelids. The flowers were asleep. The star was found. And Mia, who had helped, was safe and warm and ready for dreams.
The end. Sleep well.