The Morning Sky That Smiled
A girl discovers the sky smiling at dawn, wakes her mother, and they share magical morning moments together in their garden.
- 4 min read
The Morning Sky That Smiled
Nora woke up earlier than usual one Saturday morning. The house was so quiet she could hear the tick-tock of the kitchen clock downstairs. She padded to her window and pulled back the curtain, and what she saw made her gasp with delight.
The sky was smiling at her!
Well, not exactly smiling like you or me, but there were wispy clouds arranged in a gentle curve, like a soft, sleepy grin stretched across the pale pink morning sky.
“Hello, Sky,” Nora whispered, pressing her nose against the cool glass.
The sky seemed to brighten just a little, as if it had heard her.
Nora decided right then and there that this was too special to watch from inside. She tiptoed to her parents’ room and gently tugged her mother’s sleeve.
“Mama,” she whispered. “The sky is smiling. Can we go say good morning?”
Mama opened one eye, then the other, and saw the wonder sparkling in Nora’s face. “A smiling sky? Well, we absolutely must go greet it properly.”
Together, they wrapped themselves in cozy sweaters and stepped into their garden. The grass was damp with dew, and everything smelled fresh and new, like the world had just been washed clean.
“There!” Nora pointed up. “Do you see it?”
Mama looked up and smiled her own warm smile. “I do! And look—the sun is just beginning to wake up too.”
Sure enough, the first golden rays of sunlight were peeking over the rooftops, turning the edges of the clouds from pink to peachy-orange.
As they watched, a small bird landed on the fence post nearby. It tilted its head and chirped a cheerful good morning song.
“The bird sees the smile too,” Nora said, absolutely certain of it.
“I think you’re right,” Mama agreed. “And look over there.”
A fuzzy bumblebee was just starting its day, buzzing lazily from one dewy flower to another. The flowers themselves seemed to be stretching their petals open, like tiny colorful yawns.
“Everything is waking up because the sky smiled,” Nora said thoughtfully.
Mama sat down on the garden bench and pulled Nora onto her lap. Together, they watched as the morning unfolded around them. The sky’s smile slowly changed as more clouds drifted by, rearranging themselves into new patterns—first like a ribbon, then like a feather, then like nothing in particular at all.
“Mama, why did the sky smile this morning?” Nora asked.
Mama thought for a moment, holding her daughter close. “Maybe the sky smiles every morning, but we’re usually too busy rushing around to notice. Or maybe… maybe the sky was hoping someone special would wake up early and see it. Someone just like you.”
Nora liked that idea very much.
A cool breeze danced through the garden, making the leaves whisper and rustle. Nora imagined they were sharing secrets about the smiling sky, passing the story from tree to tree, all across the town.
“When the sun is all the way up, will the smile go away?” Nora asked, a tiny bit sad at the thought.
“The smile might change,” Mama said softly, “but I don’t think it really goes away. It’s just harder to see when the sky gets bright and busy. But now that you know it’s there, you can always remember it. And maybe, if you wake up early and look with your heart as well as your eyes, you’ll see the sky smile again.”
Nora nodded, feeling cozy and content in her mother’s arms. The sun climbed higher, painting the sky in brilliant shades of blue. The morning smile faded into the brightness of day, but Nora kept it tucked safely in her heart.
“Thank you for waking me up,” Mama whispered, kissing the top of Nora’s head. “I would have missed something truly magical.”
“You’re welcome,” Nora said. “Tomorrow, if the sky smiles again, I’ll wake you up again. We can make it our special thing.”
“Our special thing,” Mama agreed. “I’d like that very much.”
They sat together a little while longer, watching their garden come fully alive. The world seemed gentler somehow, softer and kinder, all because they had taken the time to notice one small, wonderful thing.
When they finally went inside for breakfast, Nora drew a picture of the smiling sky with her crayons—pink and orange and the softest blue, with a curve of white clouds stretched across like a happy secret.
She hung it on the refrigerator so she could see it every day and remember that sometimes, if you wake up early and look carefully, you might just catch the morning sky smiling back at you.
And maybe, just maybe, if you smile back, the whole day will be a little bit brighter.
The End
Sweet dreams, little one. Tomorrow morning, look out your window. The sky might just be smiling at you too.