Ripple's Leaf: A Gentle Bedtime Journey with a Wandering Water Drop

A single drop of water can travel thousands of miles. Just last night, we watched our little star, Twinkle, on her very first journey across the sky. Tonight, we’ll follow a different kind of traveler, one who lives right here in our world. Her name is Ripple. And when our story begins, she is resting on ONE big, green leaf. The leaf was like her whole world. It was smooth and waxy, and when the sun shone, Ripple would sparkle like a tiny diamond.

She could see the veins of the leaf, like little roads going everywhere and nowhere. She felt very safe and very still. Then, a soft little puff of wind came by. It was just saying hello. The leaf tipped, just a little. And Ripple began to roll. It wasn't scary. It was a slow, gentle slide. Down, down, down she went, until… plip! She landed in a little stream. Oh, everything was different here! The world was moving. She was no longer still.

She was dancing and tumbling along with the water. She floated past smooth, gray pebbles on the bottom. They looked like a family of sleepy potatoes, all huddled together. A little fish with fins like soft, see-through fans drifted by, its eyes half-closed. It looked ready for bed, too. For a moment, Ripple felt a little dizzy. The world was moving so fast now. But then she saw the sun, high above, reflected in the water all around her.

It was like a thousand tiny suns were traveling with her. She wasn't alone at all. As the day grew warmer, Ripple started to feel… different. Lighter. The sun felt like a warm, gentle hand. She wasn’t tumbling in the water anymore. She was… floating. Up. Up. Up. She was rising right out of the stream and into the air. She could see the whole stream below her now, a sparkling silver ribbon winding through the green grass. She floated higher and higher, until she met other little droplets, just like her.

They were all floating up together. And soon, they all snuggled close. They became a big, soft, fluffy white cloud. It was the COZIEST blanket you can imagine. And there, tucked in with all her new friends, Ripple drifted. Safe... and sound... and ready for sweet dreams.