The Sleepy Puppy's Moon Hunt

Chapter 1: The Moon is Missing

A small doghouse sits at the edge of a garden. The night is soft and quiet. ⟨Character 1⟩, a sleepy puppy, pushes the door open with his nose and steps out.

⟨Character 1⟩: Oh, what a good nap. Time to check the sky. The moon should be up there, big and round. I like to see it before I sleep again. Wait. Where is it? The sky is dark. The moon is not there.

⟨Character 1⟩: Maybe it fell behind the bush. I will look. No moon here. Just leaves. Maybe under the flowerpot. I will push it with my nose. Oof. No moon. Just a sleepy beetle. Sorry, beetle. Maybe in my water bowl. I will peek. No moon. Just water. Where can it be?

⟨Character 1⟩ trots toward the forest edge. The grass is cool under his paws. Stars blink above like tiny night-lights.

⟨Character 1⟩: I must find the moon. It is my friend. It lights up the night. I will go to the forest. Maybe someone there knows. Oh, I am so sleepy. But I must keep looking.

At the forest edge, a squirrel named Squeaky is gathering acorns. She drops one and it rolls to ⟨Character 1⟩’s paw.

Squeaky: Oh! Hello, puppy. You are up late. Are you looking for something? You have your nose to the ground. I am Squeaky. I am collecting acorns for my nest. It is warm and cozy. Do you need help?

⟨Character 1⟩: Hello, Squeaky. I am ⟨Character 1⟩. I am looking for the moon. It is gone from the sky. I checked my garden. No moon. Have you seen it? It is big and white and round.

Squeaky: The moon? I have not seen it tonight. I was busy with acorns. But I think you should check the hill. It is higher up. You can see more from there. The moon might be hiding behind a tree or a cloud. Go up the hill, ⟨Character 1⟩. You will find it.

⟨Character 1⟩: Thank you, Squeaky. I will go to the hill. I hope the moon is there. I am very sleepy, but I must find it. Goodnight, Squeaky. Sleep well in your cozy nest.

Squeaky: Goodnight, ⟨Character 1⟩. Good luck! I will keep gathering acorns. The moon will come back. It always does. Bye!

⟨Character 1⟩ turns and heads for the hill. His paws are slow. His eyes are heavy. But he keeps going.

Chapter 2: The Wise Old Owl

⟨Character 1⟩ climbs the hill, one slow paw after another.

⟨Character 1⟩: Oh, this hill is big. My legs are heavy. My eyes want to close. But I have to see if the moon is up here. Maybe it is resting on the top, like a big white pillow. I will keep going. One more step. Two more steps. Oh, I am so sleepy.

Hoot: Hoo hoo. Who is climbing my hill so late? A little puppy with droopy ears. Hello there. I am Hoot. I watch the sky every night. You look very tired. What brings you up here?

⟨Character 1⟩: Hello, Hoot. I am ⟨Character 1⟩. I am looking for the moon. It is gone from my garden. My friend Squeaky said it might be on the hill. Have you seen it? It is bright and round and it glows. I miss it.

Hoot: Ah, the moon. I have watched it for many years. Tonight it is just hiding behind a cloud. That is all. It is not lost. It is playing a game of peekaboo. Look at the cloud over there, dark and soft. The moon is right behind it, waiting to come out.

⟨Character 1⟩: Behind a cloud? Oh, that is good news. So it is safe. It is just hiding. Can you ask it to come out now? I want to see it before I sleep. I can wait. I will sit right here and wait. Just for a little while.

Hoot: You can wait, little friend. But your eyes are closing. Your head is nodding. The moon will come out when it is ready. It always does. You do not need to keep watch. Moon is patient. Moon likes sleepy puppies. Go home, ⟨Character 1⟩. Rest your paws.

⟨Character 1⟩: But I want to stay. What if the moon gets lost for real? What if it needs me? No. No. My head is bobbing. My paws are wobbling. Hoot, I think I hear my doghouse calling me. It says come sleep. Maybe you are right. I will go home.

Hoot: Go home, ⟨Character 1⟩. The moon will be there. It will shine for you. Cloud moves on, and moon always comes back. Sleep well, little puppy. I will watch the sky for both of us. Hoo hoo. Goodnight.

⟨Character 1⟩: Goodnight, Hoot. Thank you for telling me. I feel better. I will go home and sleep. And maybe the moon will follow me back. It is my friend. I hope to see it soon.

Chapter 3: Moonlight in a Bowl

⟨Character 1⟩ pads into his own garden, slow and quiet.

⟨Character 1⟩: Home again. The grass is cool. And soft. My paws are so tired from that big hill. Hoot said the moon is behind a cloud. But I still feel a little sad. I wanted to see it. Just one peek. One tiny peek. Maybe the cloud is still hiding it. Maybe I will never see the moon again. Oh, I am so sleepy, sleepier than I have ever been.

⟨Character 1⟩: Wait. What is that? By my doghouse. In my water bowl. Something bright is shining in the water. Like a little lamp. I will walk closer. Slowly. It is glowing silver, and pale. I look down into the bowl, and there it is. The moon. The moon is in my water bowl, round and white and gentle.

⟨Character 1⟩: It is the moon. Oh, I am so happy. There is the round, soft moon. You did not run away after all. You came home with me. I can see your face right there in the water, and you are close enough to touch. I will drink from the water next to your light. Slurp. Gentle, gentle.

⟨Character 1⟩: Now I look up. Higher. Into the sky. There you are again. The cloud is sliding away, and the moon peeks out like it wanted to see me too. So you were never gone. You were behind the big puffy cloud the whole time. You were always there. I just could not see you. Thank you, Hoot. You were right. You always come back.

⟨Character 1⟩: My eyes are closing now. The grass is soft under my paws. I walk into my doghouse. It smells of warm straw. I circle once. Twice. It is time to curl up, nice and round. The moon shines by my door. Its light comes in, and stays with me. Like a big night-light. A sleepy puppy looks for the moon, and the moon finds him too.

⟨Character 1⟩: Goodnight, sky. Goodnight, cloud that hid you. Goodnight, moon. Stay warm up there. I will see you when I wake if my ol’ eyes open. I hope they do. Goodnight to the moon in my bowl. Goodnight to the moon in my heart. Everything is fine now. Goodnight. Goodnight.