Lily the Lamb and Finn the Fox
In a wide green meadow full of clover and little purple flowers, there lived a lamb called Lily and a fox cub called Finn. Lily was white and woolly and soft as a cloud. Finn was red and quick, with a bushy tail that had a white tip, like a paintbrush dipped in milk.
They were the best of friends. Every day they played in the meadow. They played hide-and-seek in the tall grass. They raced to the old stone and back. They listened to the bees and watched the butterflies and lay on their backs to guess the shapes of the clouds.
That evening, the sun went down in a sky of pink and gold, and the meadow turned soft and blue.
"I don't want to go home yet," said Finn.
"Neither do I," said Lily. "Let's stay here and count the stars."
So they lay down together in the tall, soft grass. It smelled of clover and of summer. Above them, the sky grew darker and darker, and the stars began to appear.
"One," said Lily, as the first star twinkled.
"Two," said Finn. "Three. Four."
"Five," said Lily, "six, seven."
The stars came faster than they could count. Big ones and small ones, bright ones and shy ones. Then the moon rose over the hill, round and gold, and it looked down at the two friends as if it was smiling at them.
"The moon has come to say goodnight," said Lily.
"Goodnight, moon," said Finn, and he yawned so widely that Lily could see all his little white teeth.
The night air grew cool. Lily shuffled closer to Finn, and Finn curled his bushy tail around them both, like a warm red scarf. Lily's wool was soft against Finn's cheek. Finn's fur was warm against Lily's ear.
"Lily?" whispered Finn.
"Yes?"
"I'm glad you're my friend."
"I'm glad you're my friend too," whispered Lily.
The crickets sang their quiet song, cheep, cheep, cheep. The grass swayed gently in the breeze. A little purple flower nodded its head as if it, too, was getting sleepy.
Lily closed her eyes. Finn closed his eyes. They had stopped counting the stars a while ago, but the stars didn't mind. They just kept shining softly over the meadow.
And the lamb and the fox slept side by side, warm and safe, until the morning sun came to wake them.
More bedtime stories
- Misty Says Goodnight to the MoonA calm bedtime story about Misty the kitten, who sits in the window and says goodnight to the moon, the stars and the whole sleepy house.
- Biscuit Counts the StarsA bedtime story about Biscuit the puppy, who lies on a soft hill counting stars and fireflies until he drifts off to sleep.
- Little Rabbit's Leaf BlanketA cosy autumn story about a little rabbit who gathers soft leaves into a blanket and falls asleep beneath the big old tree.
- Rory Raccoon's Basket of TreasuresA bedtime story about Rory the raccoon, who tucks the day's little treasures into his basket and says thank you for the day before he falls asleep.
- Kiki and the Rain LullabyA calm bedtime story about Kiki the little monkey, who lies in her leaf hammock listening to the rain sing a lullaby in the rainforest.
- Pip the Hedgehog and the Moss BedA cosy bedtime story about Pip the little hedgehog, who builds a soft moss bed under a big red mushroom and falls asleep among the fireflies.
- Little Owl Hoo and the Sleepy TreeA gentle bedtime story about Hoo, a fluffy baby owl who listens to the old tree hum a lullaby and snuggles down in her soft round nest.
- Bramble the Bear Cub's Winter SleepA warm bedtime story about Bramble the bear cub, who curls up in a snug den as the first snow falls and dreams the long, soft winter away.
- Shelly the Turtle and the Moonlit SeaA soothing bedtime story about Shelly the little sea turtle, who listens to the slow waves on a moonlit beach and lets the sea sing her to sleep.