The Purple Velvet Sky

"Just one more story, Mommy? Please?"

Nora held up one little finger. She wiggled her toes inside her fuzzy yellow socks. Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle.

Her bedroom was getting very quiet. The shadows on the wall were growing taller, stretching out like long, sleepy arms. Nora was not quite ready for the dark. The dark felt too big. It felt too empty. She wanted to stay awake, where everything was bright and safe and warm.

Mommy smiled and tucked the blankets right up to Nora’s chin. "We already read three stories, my little ladybug," Mommy said softly. She gave Nora a gentle kiss on her forehead. "It is time for your eyes to rest now. Sweet dreams."

Mommy tapped the lamp, and the room grew dim.

Nora gave a little sigh. She squeezed her favorite stuffed bear close to her chest. She wanted to be brave, but the corners of her room looked just a little too shadowy tonight.

Just then, a soft sound came from the floor.

Mrrip?

It was Luna! Luna was Nora’s very best friend. She was a beautiful cat with fur as soft as a dandelion puff and eyes as bright as shiny copper pennies. Luna did not mind the dark at all. In fact, Luna loved the evening. She was a very calm cat, and she knew all the best, coziest spots in the house when the sun went down.

Luna trotted over to the bed. Her tail stood straight up in the air like a happy little flagpole with a twitchy bend at the top. She hopped onto the mattress with a light thump.

Luna walked right up to Nora’s pillow and nudged Nora’s cheek with her warm, wet nose.

Purr, purr, purr.

Luna’s purr felt like a tiny, warm motor humming right against Nora’s fingers. It was the friendliest sound in the whole world.

"Are you ready for sleep, Luna?" Nora whispered, scratching her kitty right behind her soft, triangular ears.

Luna did not go to sleep. Instead, she turned around and hopped off the bed. She took three quiet steps, stopped, and looked back at Nora. She gave another gentle mrrip, as if to say, Come along!

"Where are we going?" Nora whispered.

Luna trotted toward the big window. She leaped gracefully up onto the wide wooden window seat. The window seat was Nora's favorite place. It was piled high with soft, fluffy pillows and a thick, knitted blanket. It was the coziest corner in the whole bedroom.

Nora slid out of her bed. Her yellow socks made a soft shhh-shhh sound on the smooth wooden floor. She climbed up onto the window seat and snuggled down next to her kitty. Luna immediately curled into Nora’s lap, warm and heavy.

"Look," Nora whispered.

Together, they looked out the glass. The big, bright sun was slowly sinking behind the backyard trees. It looked like a giant orange balloon tucking itself into a blanket of trees for the night. Slowly, the bright orange faded away. The sky turned a deep, beautiful color. It looked just like the soft purple velvet of Mommy’s favorite jewelry box.

"The sky is putting on its pajamas," Nora giggled. She snuggled her nose into Luna’s soft neck.

The purple sky did not look scary at all. It looked quiet and peaceful. It looked like a giant, soft hug wrapping around the whole world. Nora sighed a happy sigh. The dark was coming, but she was warm, and Luna was purring, and the purple velvet sky was beautiful.

But then, Luna’s ears perked up. Twitch, twitch.

Her head lifted from Nora’s lap. Her green eyes grew very round as she stared out into the purple evening.

Nora looked where Luna was looking.

Right outside the window, in the dark green leaves of the big oak tree, something moved.

Blink.

Nora gasped softly.

What was that tiny, blinking yellow light dancing just outside the glass?