Far, far away, on a planet where every star had its own name, lived a tiny star named Mila. She was the smallest of all the stars, but the most curious.
One evening, Mila floated over to old Star and asked, "Do children on Earth sleep at night, too?"
"Oh, yes, they do!" smiled the old Star. "Would you like to see?"
Mila trembled with joy, and little sparkles sprinkled off her.
She flew through the dark space, past the Moon, and down toward Earth. She saw a first window. Behind it, a little boy lay in his bed. His mom kissed his forehead and sang softly.
Mila listened. The lullaby was as gentle as a breeze.
She flew on. At a second window, a little girl hugged her teddy bear. Her dad read her a book about the moon. The girl yawned and closed her eyes.
Mila felt warm inside.
At a third window, a baby was already asleep. Grandma quietly tucked the blanket around him and stroked his head. A small lamp glowed in the room, and it was cozy.
Mila floated closer to the glass. Suddenly, the baby smiled in his sleep.
"Does he see me?" wondered the little star.
She thought of her home planet. It was nice there too, but different. There were no quiet songs, gentle goodnight kisses, or warm hands fixing blankets.
Mila flew from window to window. Everywhere, children were falling asleep—some fast, some slow. But beside each one, someone was there.
She saw hundreds of windows. In each one, a different lullaby, a different way of saying "goodnight."
When Mila returned home, the old star asked, "Well, did you see?"
"Yes," Mila whispered.
She settled in her place among the other stars and glowed with a tender light. Now, when she shone at night, she knew: down on Earth, someone was falling asleep in their mom's arms. Someone was listening to a dad's story. And someone was just feeling that they were not alone.
Mila shone a little brighter than before. Because now, in her light, there was something new—a piece of that Earthly tenderness she had seen in the windows.
And children on Earth, looking at the sky before bed, see her—a tiny star shining especially warmly.