A Fairy Bedtime Story for 5-Year-Olds

Tansy was the fairy who hung lanterns along the garden path. Every lantern held a little glowstone that shone without getting hot.

On the evening of the garden picnic, Tansy polished each stone until it sparkled. She wanted everything to look beautiful.

But one lantern gave only a soft, pearly light.

Tansy rubbed its glass. She turned the stone over. She held it beside the brighter lanterns. Still, it glowed like a small moon behind a cloud.

"You are not very bright," she murmured.

Her neighbor Jun, who walked with a cane made from a smooth twig, stopped beside her.

"May I see that one?"

Tansy handed it over.

Jun smiled. "This is lovely. The bright lights make my eyes tired sometimes. This one lets me see the path without dazzling me."

Tansy looked at the lantern again. She had been so busy comparing it with the others that she had not noticed its gentle glow.

"Would you like to carry it to the picnic?" she asked.

They walked together beneath the broad leaves. Tansy moved at Jun's comfortable pace. The pale lantern showed every bend in the path, every smooth stepping stone, and every place where a root crossed the ground.

At the picnic, some fairies gathered near the bright lanterns to share stories. Others chose a quiet bench beneath the soft one.

Tansy sat there with Jun. They ate tiny pear slices and listened to the grass rustling around them.

"Different lights can help in different ways," Tansy said.

When the picnic ended, she hung the pearly lantern at the entrance to the resting garden. Several neighbors thanked her as they passed.

Then Tansy flew home slowly. Her wings no longer hurried from one task to another.

She placed a small glowstone beside her bed and turned its shade toward the wall. The room filled with a gentle silver hush.

With the garden peaceful outside and her work finished for the night, Tansy tucked her wings beneath her blanket and slept.

The End ✨