Welcome to this bedtime story about Ophelia and the moon song.
This story captures the magic of the nighttime,
Especially the moon.
I hope that if you listen to it as you're drifting off to sleep,
Your dreams will be infused by some of that same moon magic.
So make yourself cozy in your bed,
Getting ready for sleep.
If you want,
You can surround yourself with your most comfortable blankets and your pillows,
Tucking yourself in.
Now take one or two slow,
Gentle breaths,
Letting go of the busyness of your day,
And softly close your eyes.
In the town where Ophelia lived,
The moon at night shone brighter than the sun at noon.
Its lunar rays made dandelions dance and sycamores sing.
Every day at moonrise,
Ophelia would race down to the river with her two sisters for an evening swim.
It was always the same.
Her father said,
Your older sister's in charge,
She's the biggest.
Her mother said,
Hold your baby sister's hand,
She's the littlest.
Ophelia was never in charge.
She wasn't the baby either.
With each moonlight run,
Her steps grew more sluggish and her smile became smaller.
Luckily,
Ophelia knew how to cheer herself up.
One night,
When the moon was full,
She snuck out of her house.
Hurrying through the forest,
She bounded into the meadow to dance with the dandelions.
Whirling and twirling around,
She cast a lovely shadow on the ground.
Soon there was a brilliant flash of lightning.
A beautiful face appeared right in the middle of the moon.
Ophelia's eyes didn't recognize the woman in the moon,
But her heart knew a friend when it saw one.
Pour some magic down from the sky,
Ophelia cried,
So someone will notice me.
My magic is in my moon song,
The woman replied,
Breaking into a sweet melody.
Luna-lee,
Luna-la.
As she sang,
All the stars in the sky clustered around her,
Twinkling happily with every note.
Delighted,
Ophelia joined in,
But she was completely out of tune.
Why can't I sing your song,
She asked.
But the woman in the moon was already slipping down the night sky,
Taking her bright moonbeams with her.
Moonset.
The meadow was blanketed in darkness.
Shivering and quivering,
Ophelia peered through the trees,
But couldn't see her path home.
What would her baby sister do?
Wah!
But it was no use.
No one could hear her.
What would her older sister do?
Make a new path.
But Ophelia couldn't find a single stick to clear the thick forest brush.
Trying to be brave,
She started humming a little melody.
One tiny firefly came to rest on her shoulder,
Its little tail lighting up happily with every note.
She hummed a little louder,
And a second firefly dropped down from the sky and floated before her eyes.
Taking a deep breath,
Ophelia opened her mouth wide and out it flew.
Her own song.
Middle-ly,
Middle-la.
The louder she sang,
The more she felt the wind in her hair.
The louder she sang,
The more fireflies sparkled in the night air,
Until the whole meadow was blazing with light.
Ophelia sang her way home through the forest,
Following the path lit up by the blinking tails.
When she got to the other side,
She found her parents and sisters looking for her.
Out by yourself at night?
Thank the moon you're all right,
Said her mother.
Ophelia kept singing.
Her sisters tried to join in,
But they couldn't get it right.
Her baby sister was too squeaky,
And her older sister was too croaky.
That's because it's my song,
Said Ophelia.
You have to find your own.
Her sisters closed their eyes until they felt something fluttering in their hearts.
Then her older sister sang,
Leader-ly,
Leader-la.
And her baby sister sang,
Baby-baby-la.
And her baby sister sang,
Baby-bee-baby-ba.
The music was so beautiful that even the night owls joined in as all three sisters sang.
Ophelia's father knelt down beside her.
Why did you wander off alone?
He asked.
She's the biggest sister,
Ophelia said,
And she's the littlest one.
Which daughter am I?
Ophelia said her father,
You're my middlest daughter.
With eyes lit up like fireflies,
Ophelia took her father's hand and led her family back home.
