Episode 1: The Mossmouse and the Mushroom Forest

Hello, and welcome to another episode of Sleepy Starship.

Are you ready to take a space adventure, and explore a new world with me?

Well, come on then. Let's go.

Tonight, you are the Captain. The Captain of a cozy little spaceship called the Sleepy Starship.

You never fly alone. Your co-pilot is Choo-Choo.

Choo-Choo is about the size of a house cat. She is soft and fuzzy, with patterned fur, a long curly tail, big round ears, and big round eyes. Choo-Choo doesn't talk. But she purrs, and she coos, and she trills. And she notices everything.

You walk across the cool grass in your socks. The door slides open with a quiet click.

Choo-Choo is sitting on the arm of the chair, waiting for you. When she sees you, her big round ears pop up. She leans over and nuzzles her fuzzy cheek against yours. Then she hops down into her own little seat, right beside you.

The ship's calm voice says, "Good evening, Captain. Shall we fly?"

Deep under your feet, the engines start to rumble. Low and slow, like a big cat purring.

And then the sky opens up, dark and wide, and full of stars.

You lean back in your chair and look out the big front window.

"Captain," the ship says, "tonight we are going to a planet called Pembrook. It is a planet of forests. On Pembrook, the rain is warm."

Warm rain. You have never felt warm rain before.

The ship tilts, and circles once, and comes down, slowly, slowly, into a small clearing in the forest.

The door slides open.

The first thing you notice is the sound. Rain. Not a big storm. Just a few drops, falling on leaves.

A raindrop lands on a leaf. Then another one lands on the moss.

You step down from the ship, and your feet sink into something thick and springy. It is moss. But it isn't green. It is peach. Pale peach, the color of the inside of a peach, and it covers everything. The ground. The rocks. The roots of the trees. It feels like walking on a fluffy carpet.

All around the clearing, there are mushrooms. Big ones. Taller than you. Their tops are wide and round, like umbrellas, and they are striped. Red and white stripes, like the umbrellas at the beach. The warm rain lands on top of them, and rolls to the edge, and drips off, one drop at a time.

You walk under the biggest mushroom. Choo-Choo walks under it too. It is dry under there, and cozy, and the rain makes a quiet tapping on the top.

Then you notice something. Someone is already under the mushroom with you.

It is a mouse. A small gray mouse, with very long whiskers. Much longer than a normal mouse's whiskers. They are so long that they curl at the ends. Its fur is gray and fluffy, and there are little bits of peach moss stuck to its back, as if it has been sleeping in the moss all day.

This is a mossmouse.

The mossmouse is holding a cup. A tiny cup, made from a tiny acorn. It looks up at you with its little black eyes. It looks at Choo-Choo. Then it twitches its long whiskers, as if to say, hello.

Choo-Choo leans down, very slowly, and touches her nose to the mossmouse's nose. The mossmouse's whiskers wiggle. It likes Choo-Choo.

The mossmouse walks to the edge of the mushroom, where the drops are falling. It holds up its acorn cup. And it waits.

And you understand. The mossmouse is catching warm raindrops. Every night, before bed, it fills its little cup with warm rain, to drink before it goes to sleep. Just like you might have a warm drink before bed.

You can help.

You kneel down beside the mossmouse. You hold out your hands, side by side, like a little bowl.

A drop falls into your hands. That is one drop. It is warm.

Another drop. That makes two.

You wait. The rain taps on the mushroom above you. That makes three.

Choo-Choo holds out her little paws too, just like you. A drop lands right on her nose instead. She blinks, and wiggles her nose, and licks the drop off. You both smile.

Another drop falls into your hands. That makes four.

You are moving slower now. So is the mossmouse. So is the rain. And one more. That makes five.

Very carefully, you tip your hands, and pour the warm water into the mossmouse's little acorn cup. It fills right up to the top. Not one drop spills.

The mossmouse holds the cup in both paws. It takes a small sip. Then another. Then it lets out a tiny, happy sigh, and its whiskers droop down, sleepy and relaxed.

The mossmouse curls up on the moss, right at the bottom of the big mushroom. It tucks its nose under its long gray tail.

But before it closes its eyes, it reaches behind a root, and pulls out something small. It holds it up to you.

It is a mushroom cap. A tiny one, no bigger than a button. It has dried out, so it is light and papery, and it has red and white stripes, just like the big mushroom above you. It looks like a little umbrella for a doll.

The mossmouse blinks at you, slowly. You may keep it.

"Thank you," you say, very quietly, so you don't wake the forest.

You put the tiny mushroom cap in your pajama pocket.

The ship's calm voice comes from across the clearing. "Captain. It is time to go home."

You stand up and brush the peach moss off your knees. You wave goodbye to the mossmouse. It is already asleep, with its acorn cup beside it. Choo-Choo looks back at the big striped mushroom, just once, and then waddles after you across the springy moss, and up into the ship.

The door slides shut. Click.

The stars slide past. Slow. Steady.

Choo-Choo climbs into your lap. She is warm, and heavy. Her eyes are closed.

The ship comes down, slow and quiet, right at the end of your garden, just where it started.

You walk across the cool grass in your socks. Up the steps. Into your room. Into your bed.

You take the tiny mushroom cap out of your pocket, and set it on your windowsill. It sits there like a little striped umbrella, waiting for the next rain.

Choo-Choo curls up at the end of your bed, round like a cinnamon roll. Her curly tail wraps over her nose.

Far away, on Pembrook, the mossmouse is asleep under the big striped mushroom. The peach moss is thick and warm. And the warm rain is still falling, one drop at a time, all night long.

Let's breathe slowly, like the rain.

Breathe in slowly. Now breathe out. Breathe in again. And breathe out.

You're home now, Captain. Safe and warm.

Your ship is resting. Choo-Choo is resting. And now it's your turn to rest.

Now it's time to say goodbye, but we'll soon meet again on another Sleepy Starship adventure. Goodnight, Captain.