Lumi pulled her quilt up to her nose. Outside the window, the sky turned purple, then black, then blacker.
An owl hooted. Lumi squeezed her eyes shut and held her breath. She counted every crack of moonlight on the floor — one crack, two cracks — but the light seeped under anyway.
Lumi lay very still and drifted off. When she opened her eyes, a path of soft blue light stretched ahead, and above her the stars were bouncing like ripe apples ready to fall.
One star winked at her and dropped straight into her paw. It was warm, humming, and perfectly round.
The star floated upward and tapped Lumi's tail. Her tail wagged once, then glowed bright gold. Behind the glow, a hidden clearing appeared with tall flowers that chimed like tiny bells.
Lumi followed the glowing trail, stepping from one chiming flower to the next. Each one lit up as she touched it.
Lumi woke in her bed. Moonlight stripes her fur. She looked at the window and watched the last orange streak fade from the sky.
She pulled her quilt down to her feet instead. Night was coming again. She waited for it, ears perked.
