The Whisperkeeper's Garden

The Whisper Keeper's Garden The stars are twinkling like tiny bells in the night sky,

Though you can't quite hear their music from down here.

You finish your bedtime routine with perhaps a bit more splashing than necessary during face washing,

And you're absolutely certain you'll stay awake all night.

After all,

Nights are far too interesting for sleeping.

You're lying in bed,

Watching your glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling,

And you remember that special breathing your teacher showed you.

You think,

I think I might try that.

So first you take a deep breath in through your nose,

Feeling your belly rise up like a balloon filled with air,

And then you let it out slowly through your mouth,

Like you're trying to make a paper pinwheel spin.

Good.

Now take another deep breath in.

Maybe this time you're imagining you're breathing in all the colors of the rainbow.

And this time as you breathe out,

Send those colors dancing into the air above your bed,

Swirling and twirling in beautiful patterns.

And then the last and third breath in,

This time imagining you're breathing in the starlight.

And as you let it out,

Uh,

Wait,

What's that?

The starlight you breathed out isn't disappearing.

Well,

Instead it's floating in the air,

Twinkling and dancing like tiny fireflies made of glitter.

You blink three times to make sure you're seeing things properly.

A swirl of sparkles pauses mid-twirl,

As if it knows you're watching.

Then to your amazement,

It floats down like a bubble landing softly on your bedspread with a gentle shimmer.

As you watch,

The sparkles begin to take shape,

Forming a tiny creature no bigger than your hand.

It seems to be made entirely of whispers and quiet thoughts.

You can see moonlight shining right through it,

Making rainbow patterns all around.

Oh,

Can you see me?

It asks in a voice that sounds like wind chimes in a gentle breeze.

Yes,

You whisper back,

Sitting up a little.

You're all sparkly and shimmery.

The creature spins in a happy circle,

Leaving a trail of twinkling light.

Oh,

I'm the Whisper Keeper.

We take care of all the quiet moments and peaceful thoughts in the Garden of Night.

We're having a bit of trouble.

And,

Well,

You seem like someone who knows about magical things.

Would you help us?

What kind of trouble?

You ask,

Curious.

Well.

.

.

The Whisper Keeper says.

I can show you,

But only if you'd like to come along.

You don't have to if you don't want to.

Perfectly fine to stay here in your cozy bed.

You think for a moment.

On one hand,

Your bed is very comfortable.

But on the other hand.

.

.

Well,

A magical garden adventure sounds like the most wonderful thing ever.

You imagine all the amazing things you might see and.

.

.

Well,

You decide you definitely want to go.

Yes,

You whisper excitedly to the Whisper Keeper.

I'd love to help.

The Whisper Keeper twirls with joy,

Leaving a trail of sparkles in the air.

Oh,

Wonderful.

Well,

Then take another deep breath with me and we'll begin our journey.

You settle back against your pillow and breathe in together,

Feeling your chest rise like a balloon.

And as you breathe out slowly,

Something extraordinary happens.

You begin to feel lighter,

As if you're floating on a cloud.

Are we flying?

You ask,

Watching your bed gently lift off the ground.

Well,

Better than flying,

The Whisper Keeper giggles.

We're floating on starlight.

Take another deep breath with me.

You breathe in and breathe out again,

And this time your bed floats even higher,

Drifting up toward the stars.

The air feels warm and cozy around you,

Like being wrapped in a summer breeze.

Higher and higher you float,

Past the tops of trees,

Through soft clouds that tickle your nose.

Until you reach a door made entirely of moonbeams.

It shimmers before you like rippling water.

How do we get in,

You wonder aloud,

Noticing there's no handle or keyhole.

The Whisper Keeper reaches into a pocket made of twilight and produces a key that looks like it was carved from starlight.

Now,

With a whisper and a wish,

Close your eyes for just a moment and make a wish for something peaceful.

Close your eyes and take another deep breath,

Wishing for the most peaceful adventure possible.

When you open them,

The Whisper Keeper is turning the key in a lock made of moonlight.

The door makes a sound like a gentle sigh as it swings open.

Welcome,

The Whisper Keeper says,

To the Garden of Night.

You lean forward from your floating bed and your mouth opens in wonder.

Before you stretches the most extraordinary garden you've ever seen.

Instead of regular flowers,

There are lullabies blooming in soft pastel colors.

Their petals are made of gentle notes that float in the air.

When a breeze passes by,

They sing soft,

Sleepy songs.

Listen,

You whisper,

The flowers are singing.

They usually sing much prettier songs.

The Whisper Keeper explains,

Leading you along a path made of starlight stepping stones.

But something's just not quite right tonight.

You notice that some of the lullaby flowers are singing off-key,

Their notes wobbling like sleepy butterflies.

Above you,

The trees have branches made of gentle sighs.

But their leaves,

Which you realize are actually tiny dreams,

Are falling too quickly,

Drifting down like confetti.

Well,

What's making everything so mixed up,

You ask,

Watching a dream leaf float past?

You catch a glimpse of something riding on a bicycle made of clouds before it dissolves into sparkles.

The Whisper Keeper points to the center of the garden,

Where a beautiful fountain stands.

But instead of water,

It's supposed to be sprouting peaceful yawns that help make people sleepy.

Right now,

Though,

It's shooting out morning rooster crows and wake-up calls.

Oh no,

You say,

Covering your ears as a particularly loud cock-doodledoo echoes through the garden.

Well,

That's not very peaceful at all.

Someone's putting morning thoughts in our night fountain,

The Whisper Keeper explains.

We need to get to the Garden Council right away.

They'll know what to do.

You follow the Whisper Keeper down a winding path.

With each step,

The starlight stones beneath your feet lay soft musical notes,

Like a gentle lullaby.

Along the way,

You pass bushes that sprout midnight berries,

Deep blue fruits that are used for painting the sky dark each night.

But even these look troubled,

Turning an alarming shade of sunrise pink.

And finally,

You reach a clearing where three remarkable beings are waiting.

The first is Mother Moonbeam,

Who looks like she's woven from starlight and silver threads.

Next to her is Sandmouse,

A tiny creature made of golden dream sand who usually delivers sweet dreams,

But now has hiccups that sound like tiny alarm clocks.

And completing the Council is Old Mr.

Twinkletoes,

A dignified cat whose fur is made from constellations.

You can see the little dipper twinkling in his tail.

Mother Moonbeam steps forward,

Her light casting gentle silver patterns on the ground.

Oh,

Thank you for coming to help us,

She says in a voice that sounds like wind through wind chimes.

To fix the fountain,

We need four very special things.

A bottle,

Rainbow yarn,

Three drops of twilight dew,

A handful of starlight seeds,

And most importantly,

A fresh batch of peace of mind.

The Sandmouse hiccups another tiny alarm clock,

Tickling,

Making everyone jump a little.

Sorry,

It squeaks,

His whiskers twitching.

We must be very careful,

Though.

Everything in the garden is getting mixed up.

The rainbow yarns are trying to become morning scratches.

The twilight dew is turning into morning frost.

And the starlight seeds keep trying to grow into sunbeams.

Well,

Where should we look first?

You ask,

Eager to help.

The Whisperkeeper points to a path that sparkles like diamonds.

Let's start with the rainbow yarns.

They are usually found in the Yawning Meadow.

But first,

Let's take a calm breath together before we begin our quest.

You breathe in slowly through your nose,

Feeling peaceful and ready for the adventure.

As you breathe out,

Little sparkles of light dance around your feet,

Lighting up the path ahead.

Together,

You follow the sparkling trail until you reach a beautiful meadow filled with flowers that look like they're made from colored glass.

Each flower opens its petals in a different kind of yawn.

Some are wide and stretchy.

Others are small and squeaky.

And a few are so powerful,

They make the crowd swoon.

We need to catch just the right kind of yawn,

The Whisperkeeper explains,

Pulling out a crystal bottle.

One that has all of the colors of the rainbow in it.

But they're,

Well,

They're very shy.

We'll need to help them feel comfortable.

You remember how yawns often spread from person to person.

Well,

Oh maybe if we yawn first,

You suggest.

Oh,

What a wonderful idea,

The Whisperkeeper means.

Let's try it together.

Okay,

I'll take a big deep breath in.

You breathe in slowly,

Feeling your chest expand like a balloon.

And then as you let it out,

Make the biggest,

Most comfortable yawn you can manage.

The Whisperkeeper joins in.

And soon the flowers begin to yawn too.

Their petals opening to reveal swirls of rainbow colors inside.

One particularly beautiful flower opens with a yawn that looks like a sunset mixed with northern lights.

The Whisperkeeper quickly catches it in the crystal bottle.

This is what we need.

Next we need,

Let's see,

Three drops of twilight dew.

The Whisperkeeper says,

Carefully tucking the rainbow yawn bottle into their pocket of starlight.

And I know exactly where to look.

The drowsy dell.

You walk together down a path lined with softly humming flowers.

Until you reach a small valley filled with pillowy moss and gentle mist.

In the center stands a circle of tall flowers.

Each one swaying,

Swaying,

Swaying sleepily from side to side.

These are the twilight flowers.

The Whisperkeeper whispers.

They usually collect evening too.

Their petals.

They pause,

Frowning slightly.

You see what's wrong right away.

The flowers are moving too quickly.

Bobbing up and down like they've had too much hot chocolate.

Little drops of dew keep forming on their petals.

But instead of being the deep purple color of twilight,

They're sparkling with morning sunshine.

Oh,

They're too excited.

You observe.

Just like I sometimes feel at bedtime when I'm not quite ready to sleep.

The Whisperkeeper nods.

What helps you to calm down when you feel that way?

Hmm,

You think for a moment.

Oh,

Sometimes taking slow breaths helps.

Could we try breathing with the flowers?

Let's do it together.

Whisperkeeper agrees.

Everyone in the garden,

Listen up.

Let's try taking a nice deep breath in.

You breathe in slowly and to your amazement,

All the twilight flowers breathe with you.

Their petals rising gently.

And as you breathe out,

They sway more slowly,

More peacefully.

Okay,

Again.

The Whisperkeeper encourages softly.

In through your nose.

With each breath,

The flowers move more and more slowly.

Their petals gradually turning a deep,

Beautiful purple.

Finally,

Perfect drops of twilight dew begin to form.

Each one containing what looks like a tiny piece of the evening sky.

The Whisperkeeper takes out a small silver spoon.

Now,

Very carefully,

They catch three drops of twilight dew.

Each one making a gentle ping as it lands in the spoon.

Two ingredients down,

Two to go,

You say happily.

Watching as the Whisperkeeper transfers the dew into another tiny bottle.

Next,

We need to find the starlight seeds.

The Whisperkeeper explains.

And I can already tell this is going to be a little bit tricky.

You look up to where the Whisperkeeper is pointing in.

High above you,

Nestled in the branches of what appears to be a tree made entirely of moonbeams,

Is a nest woven from strands of starlight.

Inside,

Tiny seeds are glowing and bouncing around like excited fireflies,

Each one trying to sprout into a sunbeam.

Usually starlight seeds are resting peacefully in their nest until nighttime,

When they drift down to help light up the night sky.

The Whisperkeeper explains.

Now,

They're all topsy-turvy,

Wanting to become daylight instead.

Well,

How do we reach them?

You ask,

Noting how high up the nest is.

The Sandmouse,

Who has followed you with his tiny alarm clock hiccups,

Suggests.

Well,

Why don't you ask the Dreamstairs that?

The Dreamstairs,

You wonder aloud.

Take another calm breath with me,

The Whisperkeeper instructs,

And I'll show you something magical.

You breathe in deeply and release it slowly.

As you exhale,

Misty steps begin to appear in the air,

Each one shimmering like a cloud at sunset.

These stairs are made from sweet dreams about flying,

The Whisperkeeper explains.

But we'll need to stay very calm as we climb them.

They can get a little bit wobbly if we get too excited.

Together,

You begin to climb the Dreamsteps.

With each step,

You take another gentle breath,

Keeping yourself steady and peaceful.

The stairs feel soft beneath your feet,

Like walking on cotton candy clouds.

When you reach the nest,

You see the starlight seeds are bouncing and zipping around,

Making tiny pinging sounds as they bump into each other.

They're just like me when I'm too excited to sleep.

But you whisper,

Maybe they need a lullaby.

The Whisperkeeper's eyes sparkle.

What a wonderful idea!

Do you know any gentle songs?

You think of your favorite bedtime lullaby and begin to hum it softly.

The Whisperkeeper joins in,

And soon the Sandmouse adds a sweet harmony,

Though occasionally interrupted by a tiny picking ring.

As you sing together,

The starlight seeds begin to slow their dancing,

And one by one,

They settle down,

Glowing contentedly like tiny nightlights.

The Whisperkeeper carefully gathers a handful of now peaceful seeds into a starlight pouch.

Just one more ingredient to go,

The Whisperkeeper says,

As you carefully make your way back down the dream stairs.

We need to find some peace of mind,

And that might be the trickiest one of all.

Where do we find peace of mind,

You ask?

Watching the dream stairs dissolve back into mist behind you,

The Whisperkeeper looks thoughtful.

Hmm,

That's the curious thing about peace of mind.

It's not something you can really find.

It's something you create.

But how do we create it,

You wonder?

Let's sit here in the quiet corner,

The Whisperkeeper suggests,

Leading you to a soft patch of moss surrounded by gently glowing flowers.

Take another deep,

Peaceful breath with me.

You sit down,

The moss feels like the coziest cushion ever,

And you breathe in slowly,

And as you breathe out,

Tiny sparkles of calm seem to float from your lips,

Drifting lazily through the air.

Now,

The Whisperkeeper says softly,

Think of the things that make you feel the most peaceful,

What helps you feel calm and quiet inside.

You close your eyes and think,

Ah,

The sound of gentle rain on my window.

You begin,

A soft,

Small,

Silvery drop appears floating in the air before you.

Oh yeah,

The way my cat purrs when she's sleepy.

Another drop joins the first,

This one humming softly.

The feeling of warm sunshine on my face.

The quiet of falling snow.

Ooh,

And the sound of leaves rustling in the breeze.

With each peaceful thought,

Another drop appears,

Until a small collection of shimmering droplets hovers in front of you,

Swirling together like a tiny galaxy of calm.

Oh,

Look!

The Whisperkeeper whispers excitedly,

But still very quietly,

You're making peace of mind.

The drops have begun to merge together,

Forming a gentle,

Glowing orb that pulses softly like a heartbeat at rest.

Now,

We have everything we need,

The Whisperkeeper says,

Carefully catching the peace of mind in a crystal jar,

Where it continues to pulse with a soft,

Soothing light.

Let's head back to the fountain.

You retrace your steps through the garden of night,

Past the yawning meadow,

Where the rainbow-yawned flowers are now sleeping contentedly,

Through the drowsy dell,

Where the twilight flowers sway in peaceful rhythm,

And under the moonbeam tree,

Where the remaining starlight seeds twinkle quietly in their nest.

When you reach the fountain,

You find Mother Moonbeam,

Old Mr.

Twinkletoes,

And the sandmouse who has finally stopped hiccuping,

Waiting for you.

Now,

Mother Moonbeam says softly,

Let's put everything together,

Just so.

First,

You add the rainbow-yawn to the fountain.

It swirls into the water in ribbons of color,

Like a sunset melting into the sea.

The morning rooster crows begin to soften into gentle evening sighs,

Next come the three drops of twilight dew.

Plip,

Plop,

Plonk.

They fall into the fountain,

Spreading circles,

Peaceful purple,

That turn the water color of perfect twilight sky.

The whisper-keeper sprinkles in the starlight seeds,

Which drift down like tiny falling stars,

Each one making a delicate tink as it touches the water.

The fountain spray begins to sparkle with starlight instead of sunrise.

And now,

The whisper-keeper whispers,

The peace of mind.

You take one last deep breath in together,

And the whisper-keeper opens the crystal jar.

The glowing orb of peace of mind floats out and gently descends into the fountain.

As it touches the water,

A wave of calm spreads through the entire garden.

The fountain gives a contented sigh and begins to spray perfect,

Peaceful yawns once again.

All around the garden,

Things return to their proper nighttime state.

The lullaby flowers sing in perfect harmony,

The dream leaves settle back onto their branches,

And the midnight berries turn back into their proper deep blue color.

You did it,

Mother Moonbeam beams,

Her light glowing warm and gentle.

The sandmouse curls up happily,

No longer hiccuping alarm clocks,

But instead making tiny,

Peaceful snoring sounds.

Old Mr.

Twinkle-toes purrs,

The constellations in his fur twinkling happily.

It's time to take you home,

The whisper-keeper says softly,

But first,

They hand you a small bottle filled with starlight.

This the dream light,

They explain.

Keep it by your bed,

And whenever you need help falling asleep,

Just take three deep,

Deep breaths,

And remember our adventure in the Garden of Night.

You feel your own eyes growing heavy,

As the whisper-keeper guides you back to your floating bed.

Ready for one last,

Peaceful breath together?

You nod sleepily and breathe in deeply,

And as you breathe out,

Your bed begins to drift gently toward,

Floating through the Moonbeam door,

And back through the starlit sky.

Everything feels so soft and dreamy now.

You can still hear the distant sound of the fountain's peaceful yawns,

Mixing with the lullaby flowers and sweet songs.

When you open your eyes again,

You're tucked snugly in your own bed.

The bottle of dream light glows softly on your bedside table,

And as you sink deeper into your pillow,

You think you hear,

Faint sound of the whisper-keeper singing along with the garden's nighttime symphony.

You take one final,

Peaceful breath in,

Feeling as calm as the starlight seeds at their nest.

As peaceful as the twilight dew.

As content as the rainbow yawns.

And as you drift off to sleep,

The garden of night watches over your dreams.

Keeping them safe and peaceful until morning.

Good night,

Dear one.

Rest easily.