High up in a warm, quiet land, stood a young coconut tree. All around, his tall tree friends were settling down for the night. The big Banyan tree had stopped swaying, and the smaller bushes had tucked their leaves close, looking sleepy.
But the Little Coconut Tree felt wide awake. His leaves felt like they were fluttering with energy, and his branches felt jumpy. He looked up at the sky, where the stars were just beginning to twinkle like little diamond dust.
A soft, silvery moonbeam drifted down from the big, kind moon. It rested gently on Little Coconut Tree's highest leaf. "Hello," whispered the moonbeam in a quiet, shimmery voice. "Why are you not asleep, little tree? The whole forest is getting ready for dreams."
"I wish I could sleep, Moonbeam," rustled the Little Coconut Tree. "But everything feels noisy inside me! My leaves flutter too much, and my branches just won't be still."
The moonbeam glowed a little brighter, its light warm and comforting. "Sometimes, little one," it said gently, "the world outside can seem noisy, but there is a quiet place you can find. You just need to listen differently."
The moonbeam showed Little Coconut Tree how to listen past the flutter in his leaves. He started hearing the soft, steady hum of the little crickets nearby. He heard the gentle swish of the breeze whispering secrets through other sleepy leaves.
He noticed the far-off, soothing sound of tiny waves on the shore, like a slow, soft breath. And he felt the quiet strength of his own roots, holding him steady in the good earth.
Little Coconut Tree closed his eyes (or imagined doing so) and focused on these peaceful sounds. He felt the soft, warm moonbeam on his leaves and the calm air all around him. The fluttery feeling began to slow down, like little birds settling in their nests.
The jumpy feeling in his branches softened. A gentle wave of peace started at his roots and slowly traveled all the way up to his highest leaves. It felt warm and heavy and good.
The moonbeam stayed beside him, a silent, silvery friend. Little Coconut Tree took a long, slow "breath" of the night air, feeling more and more peaceful with every moment.
Slowly, his leafy top began to droop a little, heavy with sweet sleepiness. The sounds of the night became a soft, gentle lullaby, wrapping around him like a warm blanket.
And there, bathed in the soft light of the friendly moonbeam, the Little Coconut Tree finally drifted off to sleep. He slept soundly, dreaming peaceful tree dreams under the watchful, quiet sky, until the warm sun would greet him awake again. Goodnight, Little Coconut Tree. Goodnight.