Night and Sleep

Mr. Night and Mr. Sleep

Once there was a girl named Sara. She lived in a house down in the woods. From her bed she could see how the darkness of the night came over the woods as Mr. Night dragged his gown over the sky. When the stars twinkled over the dark pines she waited for Mr. Sleep to come and sprinkle sleepdust over her.

Sara waited and waited, but could not sleep. Finally she stood up and went to the window. "Where are you, Mr. Sleep," she whispered. She turned her ear to the night and listened. A breeze stirred the curtains and Sara thought she heard the wind say: "Mr. Sleep is sleeping in the forest."

Sara sat down on the edge of her bed and thought about Mr. Night and Mr. Sleep. They have to walk over the sky all the time, she thought. Because there is always evening some where on earth, and there are always people lying in their beds waiting for the sleepdust. No wonder they are tired.

I'll give them something to eat, Sara thought, and went into the kitchen. There she made a picnic basket with boiled eggs, fresh bread and butter, cheese, milk and orange juice and a big pot of coffee. She got dressed and went out into the darknes. You may think it is scary to go out in the woods in the middle of night. But Sara had always lived in the forest, so when she heard an owls cry she just smiled and went on.

The moon's pale silvery light lit up the path where she walked. Leaves and dry sticks rustled as she walked further. Mice and other small animals hurried to their hiding places. "It's only me," Sara said and walked as carefully as she could. Every now and then she stopped and listened. A man that hasn't slept for hundreds of years must be snoring, she thought. And she was right. Soon she heard a faint humming in the woods.

Sara tip toed towards the sound and found Mr. Sleep lying on a large piece of moss. He was long and thin and his dark blue gown of was filled with dreamy symbols. Just the sight of him made Sara feel sleepy and made her yawn. But then she saw why he was sleeping so soundly. His nose was buried in his bag of sleepdust.

Sara bent over and lifted Mr. Sleep's head out of the bag and away from the sleepdust. Then she prepared breakfast and poured coffee in a mug. She blew the hot coffee steam towards his nose.

Mr. Sleep opened one eye. He looked at Sara while he sniffed the smells of warm coffee and fresh bread. "Mmmm," he said. "I haven't smelled such nice things for hundreds of years." But suddenly he jumped up and looked confusedly around him. "Oh no, oh no," he said. "I have overslept, how embarrassing. I have to run off with the sleepdust to catch up." He took his bag and was about to fly up in the sky when Sara took hold of his dream gown.

"You must have breakfast first," she said. "Nobody can work properly without breakfast, just look what I have prepared for you." Mr. Sleep yawned, stretched himself and looked hungrily at all the food. "You are right," he said. "Even those who are short of time need food." Sara smiled when she saw how Mr. Sleep helped himself to the food she had brought. But soon after they had a visitor.

Down from the sky came Mr. Night, and he wasn't at all happy. "So there you are, jog-trot," he shouted. "You should hear how people are complaining about their lack of sleep." Sara stood up and greeted Mr. Night. "Please sit down with us," she said. "You must be hungry as well." "I've been hungry for hundreds of years," Mr. Night said. "But I have no time for eating. What do you think people will say if night doesn't come on time?"

"That doesn't matter," Sara said and smiled cheerfully. "Nobody needs to be in such a hurry that he can't eat and rest." Mr. Night grunted and sat down to breakfast. "But I have never been too late," he mumbled. "And Mr. Sleep has always been right behind me." Sara poured a glass of milk for Mr. Night. "You must promise to eat breakfast every morning from this day on," she said.

And that's how Mr. Night and Mr. Sleep came to have their first real breakfast. Many were angry because night was a bit late and that their sleep wasn't on time. But when they received the sleepdust they soon forgot about the delay and slept soundly in their beds.