Chester was a very happy piece of cheddar cheese. He lived on a little wooden shelf in Old Man Tiber’s pantry, and he loved his life! He was a bright, sunny yellow and smelled deliciously cheesy. But Chester had a secret… he didn’t like sharing. He thought all the best dreams came from being a perfectly whole piece of cheese.
One night, a tiny mouse named Millie peeked onto the shelf. Millie was very small and very hungry. “Excuse me,” she squeaked, “Could I *please* have just a tiny nibble of cheese? I haven’t had a snack all day!” Chester puffed himself up. “No, thank you!” he said. “I need to stay whole to have the best dreams!”
Millie’s whiskers drooped. She explained that she needed energy to collect moonbeams for sleepy children. “Moonbeams help them have sweet dreams,” she said sadly. “But I’m too tired to gather them without a little cheese.” Chester felt a tiny pang of guilt, but he still held onto his cheese tightly.
Suddenly, Old Man Tiber’s cat, Captain Whiskers, yawned and stretched! He started to climb onto the pantry shelf! Chester wobbled with fear. He was too small to defend himself! Millie, despite being hungry, quickly scurried and tickled Captain Whiskers’ nose with a blade of grass.
Captain Whiskers sneezed a HUGE sneeze, tumbling back down! Millie had saved Chester! “Thank you!” Chester cried. “You saved me! I was so silly to not share. Here, please have as much cheese as you like!”
Millie happily nibbled a small piece of Chester. She felt energized immediately! She zipped out the window and began collecting the brightest, shiniest moonbeams. She brought back a special moonbeam just for Chester.
As the moonbeam touched Chester, he felt warmer and happier than ever before. He realized that sharing hadn’t made him smaller; it had made his heart bigger! He and Millie watched the moonbeams drift into the bedrooms of sleeping children, bringing sweet dreams to everyone.
Chester learned that night that the best dreams aren’t about *having* everything, but about *sharing* everything with a friend. And as he drifted off to sleep, he dreamed of moonbeams, friendship, and the joy of being a generous piece of cheese.