Lily was a little girl with bright, sparkling eyes and a heart full of sunshine. But sometimes, when the sun went down, Lily felt a tiny bit scared of the dark. She wasn't scared of monsters, exactly, but she worried her dreams wouldn't be fun.
One evening, Lily’s Mama gave her a special bedtime hug. “Sweet dreams, Lily-bug,” Mama whispered. “Remember, even when it’s dark, your imagination can fill the world with wonderful things.”
Lily snuggled into her cozy bed, clutching her favorite stuffed bunny, Barnaby. She closed her eyes and tried to imagine something happy. At first, she just saw darkness. But then, she remembered Mama’s words. She took a deep breath and *tried* to imagine a field of bright, colorful flowers.
Slowly, the darkness began to change. Tiny sparkles appeared, then grew into glowing petals of red, yellow, and blue! Lily imagined herself walking through the flower field, and a friendly little ladybug landed on her nose.
Suddenly, the ladybug spoke! “Hello, Lily! I’m Lumi. I heard you were a little worried about your dreams. But dreams are for adventures! And you are very brave.”
Lily giggled. “Brave?” she asked. “But I was scared!”
Lumi smiled. “It takes bravery to *try* to have good dreams, even when you’re a little bit worried. And being kind to yourself is the bravest thing of all.” Lumi then showed Lily how to sprinkle kindness onto each flower, making them glow even brighter.
Lily and Lumi flew on the backs of friendly butterflies, over sparkling rivers and past fluffy cloud castles. Lily wasn’t scared anymore. She was having the best adventure ever! She even helped a little lost bumblebee find its way back to its hive, showing kindness to everyone she met.
As the dream began to fade, Lumi gave Lily one last sparkle. “Remember, Lily,” she said, “you are strong, you are kind, and your imagination is a magical place. Sweet dreams!”
Lily woke up the next morning with a big smile. She remembered her adventure with Lumi and knew that even when things felt a little scary, she could always be brave and kind. And she knew, with all her heart, that bedtime wasn’t something to fear, but something to look forward to – a doorway to a world of wonderful dreams.