Hush Now, Stars Above
A child named Cruz helps sleepless stars learn to rest through song, counting, and gentle comfort before returning home to peaceful sleep.
- 5 min read
Hush now, stars above, twinkling in the sky so deep, Little Cruz is yawning, almost fast asleep.
Cruz lived in a cozy house at the edge of Whisper Woods, where the trees hummed gentle melodies and the flowers glowed softly when twilight arrived. But tonight, something magical was about to happen—something that had never happened before.
As Cruz snuggled into bed, clutching a well-loved stuffed elephant named Trumpets, the biggest, brightest star in the sky began to blink. Not twinkle—blink! Like it was trying to get Cruz’s attention.
Blink. Blink. Blink.
“Trumpets, did you see that?” Cruz whispered, sitting up and pointing toward the window.
The star blinked three more times, then suddenly, a silvery beam of light stretched down from the heavens, landing right on Cruz’s bedroom floor like a glowing staircase.
“Wow!” Cruz gasped.
A tiny voice, soft as cotton candy, drifted down the beam: “Cruz? We need your help. The stars can’t fall asleep!”
Cruz’s eyes grew as round as moons. Stars that couldn’t sleep? That seemed backwards! Cruz climbed out of bed, picked up Trumpets, and carefully stepped onto the silvery light. It felt bouncy and warm, like walking on clouds made of marshmallows.
Up, up, up Cruz floated, past sleeping birds in their nests, past clouds wearing nightcaps, past a very surprised owl who hooted, “Well, good evening!”
At the top of the beam, Cruz stepped onto a soft, sparkly surface. The night sky wasn’t empty space at all—it was a vast, velvety blanket scattered with thousands of stars. And every single star was wide awake, giggling and chattering and zooming around like fireflies at a party.
“I can’t settle down!” called a blue star, spinning in circles.
“I’m too excited!” squeaked a tiny yellow star, bouncing up and down.
“I forgot how to be sleepy!” complained a grumpy orange star, crossing its pointy arms.
A wise old star with silver tips floated up to Cruz. “You’re Cruz, aren’t you? The child who always falls asleep so peacefully? We stars have been shining so long, we’ve forgotten how to rest. Can you help us remember?”
Cruz hugged Trumpets tight and thought very hard. What helped Cruz fall asleep?
“Well,” Cruz said, “my mama always sings me a lullaby. Maybe the stars need a song?”
The old star’s face brightened. “A lullaby! We haven’t heard one in a thousand years!”
Cruz cleared a small throat and began to sing in a soft, gentle voice:
“Twinkle down now, don’t you fear, Close your sparkles, sleepytime is here. The moon will watch you through the night, Hush now, stars, turn down your light.”
A few stars yawned. A few dimmed just a little. But most were still zooming around.
“What else helps you sleep?” asked the old star.
Cruz thought again. “Sometimes Mama tells me to count backwards from ten. That makes my mind feel calm.”
“Let’s try it!” said a purple star eagerly.
All together, Cruz and the stars counted:
“Ten tired stars in the velvet sky, Nine dreamy stars give a sleepy sigh, Eight drowsy stars with drooping rays, Seven stars thinking of yesterday’s days, Six gentle stars breathing slow and deep, Five quiet stars beginning to sleep, Four peaceful stars with nothing to say, Three resting stars at the end of the day, Two fading stars growing dim and small, One last star… and that’s nearly all.”
More stars yawned. Many dimmed to a soft, sleepy glow. But a handful were still wide awake, including the grumpy orange star.
“I still can’t sleep!” it grumbled. “My points are too pointy! My glow is too glowy!”
Cruz smiled. “That’s okay. Sometimes I can’t sleep either, even when I try really hard. Do you know what Mama does then?”
“What?” asked all the stars at once.
“She reminds me that my bed is cozy, my room is safe, and she loves me very much. Then she pats me gently, like this…” Cruz reached out and softly patted the orange star.
The orange star’s face melted into a smile. “That… that feels nice.”
Cruz went around patting each star that was still awake, one by one. “The sky is your cozy bed. The moon watches over you. And you’re all loved very much because you light up the whole world for everyone below.”
Pat, pat, pat went Cruz’s gentle hand.
Yawn, yawn, yawn went the stars.
Soon, every single star was glowing softly, peacefully, like nightlights in a dreaming nursery. They weren’t bouncing or spinning anymore. They were simply… resting. Still shining, but calmly, gently, perfectly.
The old silver star floated close to Cruz. “Thank you, little one. You’ve reminded us of something important—that even stars need to rest. Even bright, shining things need quiet moments.”
Cruz yawned too, suddenly feeling very sleepy. “I think I need quiet moments now as well.”
“Of course,” said the star kindly. “Let’s get you home.”
The silvery beam appeared again, and Cruz stepped onto it, hugging Trumpets close. As Cruz floated down, down, down, all the stars hummed together in perfect harmony, creating the most beautiful lullaby ever heard. It sounded like tinkling bells and soft winds and whispered wishes all at once.
Cruz landed back in the cozy bedroom, climbed into bed, and pulled up the covers. Through the window, the stars were shining—but differently than before. They glowed steady and peaceful, like they were finally, finally getting the rest they needed.
Cruz smiled and closed tired eyes.
“Goodnight, stars,” Cruz whispered.
And if you listened very carefully, you could hear thousands of tiny voices whisper back:
“Goodnight, Cruz. Thank you for teaching us to rest.”
The moon smiled down.
Trumpets the elephant smiled in Cruz’s arms.
And Cruz smiled in a dream, where children teach stars how to sleep and the night sky hums lullabies that never, ever end.
Hush now, stars above, twinkling soft and bright, Little Cruz is sleeping, safe throughout the night. Dreams of silver stairways, songs up in the sky, Hush now, hush now, close your sleepy eyes.
The end.
Sweet dreams.