Lily and the Whoosh in the Whispering Woods

Lily counted exactly three fireflies blinking just outside her window. It wasn't a scary night, not like the one Leo had last week with his midnight jig and that dancing shadow. This was different. This was a sound. Whoosh. It came from the edge of the yard, where the tall, dark trees of the Whispering Woods began. Lily sat up in bed. Her heart went thump-thump... thump. The moonlight painted silver stripes across her bedroom floor, all the way to her little yellow boots by the door. Whoosh... fwoomp. That second sound was new. It sounded... clumsy.

Lily wasn't scared. Well, maybe just a tiny bit. A brave bit. She swung her legs out of bed, but when she reached for her teddy bear, Barnaby... he wasn't there. Her pillow was empty. Her blanket was empty. Barnaby was gone. And Lily knew, she just knew, he must have waddled outside to see the fireflies. She pulled on her boots, grabbed her flashlight, and tiptoed out the back door. The air was cool and smelled like damp leaves and nighttime flowers. "Barnaby?" she whispered. The beam from her flashlight cut a bright circle in the dark. It danced over the grass, onto the tree trunks.

WHOOSH. It was louder now. Closer. And it came with a shiver that rattled a whole bush of wild roses. Lily froze. The light from her flashlight trembled. A shape moved behind the bush. It was pale. And floaty. It rose up, higher and higher, a wobbly, glowing... thing. It looked like a ghost. Lily held her breath. The glowing thing wobbled toward her. It opened a mouth that wasn't really a mouth and took a deep, gurgling breath. Lily squeezed her eyes shut, ready for a terrifying BOO! Instead, she heard... "Hoooo-laaaa-WHOOSH!" Lily opened one eye. The little phantom smacked its floaty lips, looking embarrassed.

It tried again. "Heeell-fwooomp!" It sighed, a tiny puff of air, and just waved a wispy hand. It wasn't scary at all. It was just... clumsy. Lily giggled. "Are you trying to say hello?" The phantom nodded eagerly, glowing a little brighter. Lily pointed her flashlight at her own chest. "I'm Lily." The phantom floated in a happy little circle and then pointed a wobbly finger up, up, up into the branches of an old oak tree. And there, caught on a little twig, was Barnaby. He was dangling by one fuzzy ear, perfectly safe. The phantom drifted up, gently untangled Barnaby from the branch, and floated down, holding the bear out to Lily.

It didn't make a sound. It just held him there, its see-through face glowing with a happy, helpful light. Lily took her bear and gave him a huge hug. "Thank you," she said to her new friend. The phantom just gave a happy little wiggle. Back in her room, tucked under the covers, Lily held Barnaby tight. She could just hear a faint noise from the woods. A soft, gentle... whoosh. It wasn't a scary sound anymore. It was the sound of a clumsy friend saying goodnight. And Lily smiled, closed her eyes, and drifted off to sleep.