Mimi the Moonlight Cat

In a little blue house at the end of Maple Street, there lived a white cat named Mimi. But Mimi was not an ordinary cat. She only came out at night, when the moon poured its silver light across the rooftops.

Mimi loved moonbeams the way other cats love warm cushions. She would step onto a moonbeam as if it were a bridge, and off she would walk, padding softly through the night sky.

Her job was a very special one. Mimi visited children who were tossing and turning in their beds, children whose eyes just would not stay closed.

The Moonbeam Visit

First, Mimi would sit on the windowsill and wash her face, very slowly, paw by paw. Then she would tiptoe across the bedroom floor, her whiskers tickling the air.

She would hop onto the edge of the bed, curl herself into a warm little circle, and begin to purr. Not a loud purr. A purr so soft it sounded like the moon humming a lullaby.

As she purred, Mimi brushed her tail across the child's forehead, and with each brush, heavy sleepiness flowed in like warm milk.

Before she reached the house, Mimi had walked her moonbeam bridge across three rooftops. She had stopped to sniff the night jasmine growing by old Mrs. Plum's fence, and she had waved her tail at the sleepy sparrows tucked under the eaves. Mimi never hurried. The night was her friend, and friends take their time.

The Sweetest Dreams

"Sleep now," Mimi would whisper, though no one could quite hear her. "The moon is keeping watch. The stars are all counted. Nothing will bother you tonight."

And the child would yawn one great big yawn, snuggle deeper under the blanket, and drift away into dreams of floating on clouds made of whipped cream.

When morning came, Mimi was always gone. But if you looked very carefully at the pillow, you might find one tiny white whisker, and the bedroom would smell faintly of moonlight.

When her work was done, Mimi slipped back out the window and padded along the moonbeam toward home. The sky was turning the palest pink at the edges. Mimi curled up in her own sunny spot by the kitchen door, tucked her nose under her tail, and purred herself to sleep, dreaming of the children she had helped.

Moral of the Story

Being gentle and calm can help everyone around you feel safe enough to rest.