The Night the Stars Fell
A bedtime story
Luna loved counting stars before bed.
One, two, three, four, five...
But tonight, something was wrong.
Where did you go?
She saw it then — a trail of light, like breadcrumbs made of gold.
It started at her windowsill.
It went somewhere far away.
Luna put on her slippers.
Then she took them off again.
Stars, she decided, were worth cold feet.
The trail led past the garden gate, through the whispering woods where shadows told secrets to each other.
Luna wasn't scared.
Well, maybe a little scared.
But the trail glowed so kindly, like it was saying:
This way. Don't worry. This way.
She followed.
And there, in a nest of fallen leaves, Luna found it.
A tiny star.
No bigger than her hand.
It was shaking.
"Are you lost?" she whispered.
The star blinked once. Twice. Yes.
"I know the way home," Luna said, though she didn't, not really. "It's up."
The star was too tired to fly.
So Luna carried it.
Up the hill behind her house. Up the rocks that looked like sleeping giants.
"Almost there," she said, even when her legs got wobbly.
The star glowed a little warmer against her cheek.
At the top of the world, Luna stopped.
The sky was so big.
She was so small.
But the star on her shoulder? It belonged up there.
"I can see where you go," Luna said, pointing at the gap. "Right there. That's your spot."
The star hovered for a moment.
It didn't want to leave either.
"It's okay," Luna said, even though her eyes felt prickly. "You have to go home. Everyone has to go home."
She reached up one last time.
The star touched her fingertip.
Then it rose.
Up. Up. Up.
Luna watched until the star found its place.
And you know what?
It glowed brighter than before.
Brighter than any star in the whole sky.
Maybe because it had been loved.
Maybe because it remembered.
Tap the sky to celebrate
Luna smiled all the way home.
And every night after that, when she counted the stars —
One, two, three, four, five...
— she always counted that one twice.
THE END
✦
"The Night the Stars Fell" is an original story created for Esy, designed as an interactive bedtime experience for children and families.
Written with love for dreamers everywhere.
