Once upon a time,
In a cosy little house on a quiet hill,
Lived a boy named Max.
Max loved the night sky.
Every evening,
When the sun dipped below the hills and painted the sky in shades of deep lavender and dusty blue,
Max would look out his window at the twinkling stars.
But Max wasn't just a regular boy at night.
When the moon came out,
Max became Astronaut Max,
The bravest,
Sleepiest explorer in the whole wide universe.
Tonight was a very special night.
Max's mission wasn't to race through galaxies or dodge meteors.
Tonight,
His mission was to find the most peaceful spot in the cosmos for a deep,
Beautiful sleep.
Max climbed into his special spacesuit.
It wasn't heavy or metallic.
This spacesuit was made of the softest,
Fluffiest cloud cotton you could ever imagine.
It smelled faintly of lavender and warm vanilla.
As Max zipped it up,
He felt a wave of warmth wrap around him,
From his toes all the way to his shoulders.
He put on his magic astronaut helmet.
Inside the helmet,
A soft,
Warm light glowed,
Like a gentle night light.
And the best part?
It blocked out all the loud noises of the world,
Leaving only the sound of Max's own gentle breathing.
In and out.
In and out.
Max climbed into his rocket ship,
Which was parked right in the centre of his bedroom.
The rocket ship was shaped like a giant crescent moon,
And its seats were made of marshmallow foam.
Max buckled his soft safety belt,
Leaned his head back against the pillow rest,
And prepared for countdown.
There were no loud engines here.
This rocket ran on star power and quiet wishes.
Five,
Max whispered,
Closing his eyes halfway.
Four,
His eyelids felt heavy.
You took a deep,
Slow breath.
Two,
His body felt as light as a feather.
One.
Liftoff!
The rocket didn't shake.
It simply floated upwards,
Rising gently through the roof,
Past the sleepy treetops,
And up into the cool,
Quiet night air.
Higher and higher it drifted,
Dancing past wispy,
Silver clouds that felt like soft blankets brushing against the windows.
Max looked down and saw the lights of his town growing smaller and dimmer,
Like tiny glowing night lights turning off one by one.
Soon,
Max was floating in the great,
Beautiful deep space.
But space wasn't cold or scary.
It was a vast,
Velvet sea of dark indigo and midnight blue.
It felt warm,
Safe and completely still.
Every star in the sky was alive with a soft,
Magical glow.
They didn't blink brightly.
They hummed a tiny,
Quiet lullaby.
Mmm.
The sound was so faint and so steady,
Like the purr of a sleepy kitten.
As Max's moon rocket drifted through the velvet sky.
He noticed a constellation of stars shaped like a giant sleepy bear.
The star bear yawned a great slow yawn,
And as it did,
A shower of glittering golden stardust drifted past Max's window.
Max watched the stardust float by.
It moved in slow motion,
Swirling and dancing in the weightless air.
It looked like glowing glitter falling gently through water.
Max felt his own arms and legs grow heavy and loose,
Floating in the weightlessness of space.
He didn't have to hold himself up.
Space was holding him.
Cradling him perfectly.
The rocket glided toward the Milky Way,
Which didn't look like a highway at all.
It looked like a wide,
Flowing river of warm,
Glowing milk and silver ribbons.
The river moved slowly.
Undulating in waves of pure peace.
Max's rocket merged into the river,
Drifting along with the gentle current.
Drifting.
Floating,
Rocking ever so gently from side to side.
The soft light from the silver river cast beautiful,
Moving patterns on the walls of Max's rocket.
Max tracked a single,
Tiny bubble of starlight as it floated across his view.
It was a beautiful pale pink colour.
When it popped,
It didn't make a sound,
But it released a tiny cloud of sweet,
Sleepy dreams that settled all around Max.
Up ahead,
Max saw a brand new planet he had never visited before.
The cosmic computer on his dashboard whispered its name in a voice as soft as a mother's lullaby.
The Blanket Planet.
Max guided his rocket down toward the planet's surface.
Landing here was like landing on a giant stack of freshly washed warm blankets straight from the dryer.
The ground was made of soft,
Quilted velvet and plush fleece.
As the rocket touched down,
It sank just a little bit into the cozy surface,
Coming to a perfectly gentle stop.
Max unbuckled his safety belt,
He opened the hatch of his rocket,
And instead of steps,
A slide made of woven silk extended down to the ground.
Max slid down slowly,
Landing softly in a mound of cloud pillows.
The air on the blanket planet was the perfect temperature.
It was cool enough to make you want to snuggle up,
But warm enough to feel completely safe.
Max walked slowly,
His boots sinking into the plush ground with every step.
Squish,
Squish.
It felt wonderful.
In the distance,
Max saw the creatures who lived here.
They were called the slumber whales.
They didn't live in water.
They floated gracefully through the pink and purple air of the planet.
They were giant,
Gentle creatures made of soft twilight mist.
As they swam through the air,
They sang a song that had no words.
Just a beautiful,
Deep melody that vibrated gently through the ground.
Max lay down on a hill made of memory foam moss.
He looked up at the sky of the Blanket Planet.
There were three small moons here.
One was a soft lavender.
One was a pale mint green.
And the third was a warm peach colour.
The moons were moving very,
Very slowly.
Overlapping each other and creating a beautiful soft eclipse that cast a dim,
Comforting twilight across the whole land.
A gentle breeze blew across the planet.
The breeze carried the scent of chamomile flowers and sweet dreams.
It blew over Max,
Tucking him in under an invisible warm blanket of comfort.
Max's eyes felt so heavy now,
He could barely keep them open.
Every muscle in his body from his nose to his toes felt completely relaxed.
He felt as heavy as a stone,
Yet as light as a cloud.
Max knew it was time to finish his journey and head back home.
He stood up from the memory foam moss,
Feeling beautifully heavy and relaxed.
Walking very slowly,
His boots sinking softly into the plush fleece ground.
Squish,
Squish.
He made his way back to his faithful rocket ship.
He climbed up the silk slide and stepped inside the cosy cabin.
The soft,
Warm nightlight inside his helmet glowed gently,
Welcoming him back.
Max nestled into his marshmallow foam seat,
Which seemed to hug him tightly.
Perfectly shaping itself to his tired body.
He pulled a fluffy,
Lavender-scented blanket over his lap.
And buckled his soft safety belt with a quiet click.
Max leaned his head back against the pillow rest.
He tapped the dashboard.
And the rocket's gentle star power hummed to life.
It didn't roar.
It just purged like a sleepy kitten.
A sound that made Max's eyelids feel heavier than ever.
Five,
Max whispered,
His eyes closing halfway.
For a deep,
Slow breath in.
Three,
A soft breath out.
True.
Completely relaxed.
One.
The moon rocket lifted off from the blanket planet,
Gliding smoothly into the deep indigo sky.
As it floated away,
Max looked out the window.
The slumber whales waved their misty tails,
Sending one last wave of purple twilight to guide him home.
The rocket drifted back along the silver river of the Milky Way.
The gentle current rocked the ship from side to side.
Rock,
Rock,
Drift,
Drift.
The stars begin to lower their lights.
Dimming themselves one by one so Max could rest.
The sleepy star bear constellation was now fast asleep.
Breathing in a slow steady rhythm.
Max matched his own breathing to the bear's.
In.
.
.
And out.
In.
.
.
And out.
The rocket glided closer to Earth,
Slipping quietly through the wispy silver clouds.
It floated down past the quiet treetops.
Through the cool night air.
And right back into the centre of Max's bedroom.
Landing with the softest,
Silent thud.
Max didn't even need to unbuckle.
The rocket cabin simply dissolved into the warmth of his own cozy bed.
The marshmallow's seat became his mattress.
The lavender blanket became his comforter.
And the quiet hum of space became the peaceful silence of his room.
The universe whispered,
Goodnight Max.
The stars whispered,
Goodnight brave explorer.
And the moon smiled its silver smile through the window.
Keeping watch as Max fell into a deep,
Peaceful and beautiful sleep.
Sleep,
Max,
Sleep.
The stars are watching.
The universe is quiet.
All is well.
Good night.
