Once upon a time, just as the sun began to dip below the horizon, a little girl named Lily sat on her bed. Her room was cozy and filled with soft shadows. Lily loved bedtime stories more than anything, but tonight she had a delightful problem. She needed a new character for her adventure!
Lily closed her eyes and thought hard. Should it be a brave knight? No, she had just had a story about a knight. A clever talking animal? Perhaps a squirrel? A fox? She pictured a speedy squirrel scampering up a tree, but squirrels were always so busy. She imagined a sly fox, but maybe he was a little too tricky for a sleepy-time tale.
She wanted a character who was kind, and maybe a little bit different. Someone who wasn't the strongest or the fastest, but had their own special way of shining. She thought about the sky outside. The stars were starting to peek out, tiny and bright. What about a little star?
Lily imagined a little star named Twinkle. Twinkle tried very hard to sparkle like the big, bright stars, but his light was just a soft, gentle glow. He felt a little sad that he couldn't light up the night sky all by himself. But then, Twinkle noticed something amazing. His soft glow was perfect for guiding lost fireflies home! The big stars were too bright for the tiny fireflies, but Twinkle's gentle light was just right.
That was a lovely character, but Lily kept imagining. Her gaze drifted lower, towards the soft clouds drifting slowly across the moon. What about a little cloud?
She pictured a little cloud puff, soft and round, named Puffy. All the other clouds were big and strong, making exciting rainstorms and fluffy white shapes. Puffy tried to make big raindrops, but he could only manage a very gentle mist. The other clouds sometimes teased him for not making proper rain.
Puffy felt a little left out. But one day, as he drifted near a dry meadow, he saw tiny wildflowers drooping from thirst. The big rain clouds had passed them by. Puffy decided to try his best. He sent down his gentle mist, a soft, cool shower that wasn't much, but it was enough to revive the tiny flowers. The flowers perked up and whispered thank yous to the little cloud.
Puffy realized then that even though he couldn't make big rain like the others, his gentle mist was perfect for helping the smallest, driest things. He had found his special talent! He wasn't useless; he was uniquely helpful in his own quiet way.
Lily smiled. Little Puffy the Cloud was the perfect character for her bedtime story tonight. He was kind, he was a little different, and he learned that everyone has something special to offer. She snuggled under her covers, ready to imagine Puffy's gentle adventures, knowing that even the quietest and smallest among us can do wonderful, important things.
And as Lily drifted off to sleep, she dreamt of soft mist and tiny happy flowers, ready for whatever adventure Puffy the little cloud might have tomorrow night.