A Little Wake-Up Call

The moon was a sliver of cheese in the inky sky, and the stars were like tiny glitter specks sprinkled across a velvet blanket. I was tucked in tighter than a bug in a rug, my trusty Special Potion sitting on my bedside table, looking all mysterious and important. It had smelled a bit like fizzy lemonade, which was a good sign, right? Like a secret party for my taste buds before they went to sleep. Mom had given me a big hug, Dad had ruffled my hair, and they’d whispered, “Sweet dreams, champion!” Champion! I liked the sound of that. I was ready to be a dry-bed champion.

I snuggled down into my pillow, which was still a *little* bit swampy from last night, but I was trying not to think about that. I was thinking about dry beds. And clean pajamas. And maybe even winning a medal for not being a soggy mess. My eyes felt heavy, like they were trying to do a disappearing act. Soon, the land of Nod came to claim me, and I was off on an adventure with talking socks and a flying toothbrush.

Then, it happened. Not a big, splashy, flood-the-house kind of happening. It was more like a tiny tickle. A little nudge. Like a polite tap on the shoulder from a friendly raindrop. I stirred in my sleep, my brain doing a slow-motion stretch. It was a strange feeling, not the usual heavy, sleepy feeling that meant my bladder was about to stage a full-scale invasion. This was… different. It was a feeling that said, “Psst! Leo! Wakey, wakey! There’s something you need to do!”