Leo the Leaf's Moonlit Adventure

A single maple tree can have over fifty thousand leaves. And each one, in its own time, gets to have a brand new adventure. It reminds me of how Lumi the firefly found her own light, just by being brave enough to begin. Tonight’s story is about a beginning like that… and a little leaf named Leo. Leo was a beautiful little leaf, painted in the most brilliant shades of autumn red and sunset gold. All season long, he had lived happily on his branch, high up in a tall maple tree.

He loved feeling the warm sun on his face and dancing in the summer breeze. But now, the air was changing. It was cool and crisp, and the moon was a big, silver coin in the dark sky. Leo felt a change inside him, too. A feeling of… readiness. A soft, warm puff of wind came along. It wasn't a pushy wind. It was a gentle sigh that whispered through the branches. It seemed to whisper right to him. It’s time, little one. And so, Leo let go. For a moment, he felt like he was falling.

But then, the breeze caught him. It lifted him up, and he began to float. Oh, it was a WONDERFUL feeling. He twirled and spun, a tiny, silent dancer in the moonlight. He was no longer attached to his branch… he was free to see the world. The gentle wind carried him over a wide, open meadow. The long grass below him was washed in silver by the moonlight, and he could see tiny field mice scurrying home, their little shadows dancing right beside them. He floated on, toward the sound of soft murmuring.

It was a sleepy river, whispering secrets to the smooth stones on its bed. Leo looked down and saw the stars reflected on the dark, glassy water. It was like there were two skies… one high above, and one deep below. The breeze guided him into a grove of ancient, whispering trees. Their leaves rustled with a sound like soft rain, and Leo imagined they were telling the stories of all the seasons they had ever seen. On one sturdy branch, he saw a great owl.

The owl’s eyes were big and round and golden. It blinked, very slowly, at Leo. It was a silent hello. A quiet, “welcome to the night.” Leo dipped and bobbed in the air, a little bow in return. He looked up past the branches, at the endless sky. It was filled with so many twinkling stars. One star seemed to shine JUST for him. He felt a little flicker of joy, and he imagined he was twinkling right back. The breeze began to slow. It carried him lower now… and lower… and lower.

The world was getting closer. He saw a patch of ground that looked softer than anything he had ever known. It was a thick, plush bed of deep green moss. The breeze set him down, ever so gently. He landed without a sound. Leo snuggled into the soft moss. He was warm. He was safe. He was not on his old branch, but he was home. The brave little leaf closed his eyes, ready for the sweetest of dreams.