Rusty and the Stars’ Lullaby

It was a warm summer evening. The forest was getting quieter and quieter. The squirrels had tucked themselves into their hollow. Toby the bear was snoring in his little house under the oak: zzzz, zzzz. All the animals were already asleep. Only Rusty the fox kept tossing and turning.

Rusty closed his eyes. A moment later, he opened them again. “I can’t fall asleep,” he whispered. His tummy was spinning like a little merry-go-round. His paws wouldn’t lie still, and his tail wouldn’t either. “Oh dear, oh dear,” sighed Rusty.

First he tried counting sheep. One, two, three… But the sheep kept running right out of his head. Then he lay on his back. Then on his tummy, and then on his side. Sleep just didn’t want to come. Very quietly, Rusty crept out of his burrow and up a little hill.

He lay down in the soft grass. Shh, shh, whispered the grass. Above him, thousands of stars were twinkling. They looked like tiny lanterns hung up in the sky. Rusty gazed at them and sighed.

“Can’t you sleep?” whispered the tiniest star. “No, I can’t,” Rusty admitted. “Sometimes I can’t either,” said the star. “Then I sing myself a lullaby.” A lullaby is a soft little song that sends you off to sleep. “Shall we sing it together?”

The little star began to hum, very softly. “Hush-a-bye, hush-a-bye, stars are gleaming, sleep is coming, time for dreaming.” Rusty took a slow breath. In… and out. His tail curled up comfortably by his nose.

Other stars joined in. “Hush-a-bye, hush-a-bye, stars are gleaming, sleep is coming, time for dreaming.” Rusty breathed along with the song. In… and out. His paws grew heavy and warm. The merry-go-round in his tummy spun slower and slower.

“Now I’ll try,” whispered Rusty. And he hummed all by himself, as softly as he could. “Hush-a-bye, hush-a-bye, stars are gleaming, sleep is coming, time for dream…” The last word got lost in a long yawn. The merry-go-round in his tummy stopped. Rusty felt warm and cozy, as if he were snuggled under a blanket.

The lullaby was as quiet as a breath. Rusty’s eyes grew heavier and heavier. Before the stars had finished singing, the little fox was fast asleep with a smile. The moon tucked him in with silver light. Far away, the crickets chirped softly. Good night, Rusty.