Stars' Secret Goodnight

Barnaby the bear blinked. He blinked again. And then he blinked a third time, his furry eyelids feeling heavier than a sack of honeycombs. Yet, sleep, that elusive, fluffy cloud, refused to descend. Outside his window, the night sky was a riot of twinkling, shimmering, and, dare he say it, *giggling* lights. The stars, oh the stars! They were being particularly boisterous tonight, each tiny speck of light winking and flashing like a thousand tiny disco balls gone wild. Barnaby buried his nose into his pillow, a pillow that smelled delightfully of warm milk and dreams, but even the softest fluff couldn't muffle the relentless sparkle.

He’d tried everything, hadn't he? First, it was his paws. Big, clumsy bear paws, perfect for hugging and for scratching itchy backs, but utterly useless at blocking out the celestial show. He’d pressed them over his eyes so hard he’d seen little dancing stars of his own, but as soon as he’d dared to peek, there they were again, those cheeky little twinklers, as bright and bold as ever. Then came the pillow. He’d wrestled it over his head, creating a cozy, dark cave for his sleepy head. But the light, oh, the light seemed to seep through the very fabric of his bedding, a persistent, luminous whisper that tickled his eyelids. And the giggling! It wasn’t a sound he could hear with his ears, not exactly, but a feeling, a bubbly, effervescent vibration that seemed to hum through the air, making his whiskers twitch.

His grand idea of a giant star blanket, a magnificent quilt woven from moonbeams and dreams, had seemed so brilliant just moments ago. He’d imagined scooping up every single star, one by one, and tucking them neatly beneath his cozy creation. But the stars were far too quick, far too giggly. His net, the one he usually used for catching fat, juicy berries, had proven utterly inadequate. The stars had danced and darted, slipping through the mesh like slippery fish, their light seeming to laugh at his efforts. He could almost hear them, if he listened very, very closely, a chorus of tiny, tinkling chuckles.