Sam was splashing in the bath with his yellow duck. Splish, splash. The water was warm. The bubbles were soft and white.
"Pop, pop, pop," said Sam, and he giggled.
When the bath was done, Mama wrapped him in a big towel. Then she tucked him into his cozy pajamas. Sam picked up his blue blanket and held it close. It was soft and smelled like home.
"Let's pretend," said Sam.
"What shall we pretend?" asked Mama.
Sam thought. He looked at the bubbles still floating in the air. "A bubble ride," he said.
So Sam closed his eyes. And in his pretend, a big, round bubble came floating up. It shimmered like a rainbow. Sam stepped inside. It was light as a feather.
Up, up, up, it floated. Past the soft pink clouds. Past the twinkly stars. Sam wrapped his blue blanket around his shoulders like a cape.
Soon, he saw a tiny island in the sky. It was shaped like a big, white teacup. It had a little handle. Warm steam curled up from the top, and it smelled like vanilla.
The bubble set down gently. Pop! Sam hopped out.
The ground was soft and warm, like a fluffy pillow. A tiny pond sat in the middle, where the tea should be. And on the pond, there was a duck.
It was a round, fluffy duck. It wore a little blue scarf.
"Hello, Sam," said the duck. "I am Pip. I have been waiting for you."
Sam smiled. Pip was so friendly. "Hello, Pip," he said. "Quack?"
"Quack, quack," said Pip, and she bobbed up and down.
"Would you like to see my island?" asked Pip.
"Yes, please," said Sam.
They walked around the rim of the teacup. It was smooth and cool. Little lanterns glowed along the edge, soft and golden. Below them, the whole sky twinkled.
"Look," said Pip. "The stars are tucking themselves in."
Sam looked. The stars were blinking slowly, one by one. Blink. Blink. Blink.
"They are sleepy," said Sam.
"Yes," said Pip. "Everyone is safe up here. Everyone is loved."
They came to a little wooden bench by the pond. On it sat a stack of tiny blankets, one for every duckling. Pip's three ducklings were already snug in a row, with their eyes closed.
"Shh," whispered Pip. "They are almost asleep."
Sam wanted to help. He had an idea. He took a little bit of his blue blanket and tucked it gently around the smallest duckling.
"Thank you, Sam," whispered Pip. "That was kind."
The duckling gave a tiny, sleepy peep.
Then Pip blew a very soft breath over the pond. Out floated one last bubble. It was big and round and glowing. It drifted slowly up, up, up, and it made a soft, quiet hum.
"That is the bedtime bubble," said Pip. "It reminds everyone to rest."
Sam yawned a big yawn. His arms felt heavy. His eyes felt slow.
"I think it is time for me to go home," he said.
"Yes," said Pip. "Sleep well, Sam. You are safe, and you are loved."
Sam climbed into his bubble. It rocked gently, back and forth, like a cradle. Down, down, down it floated. Past the twinkly stars. Past the soft pink clouds.
Pop. A tiny, quiet pop.
And Sam was home. He was snuggled in his own bed, in his own room, with his blue blanket tucked under his chin. Mama kissed his forehead. The night light glowed warm and gold.
"Goodnight, Sam," she said softly. "You are so loved."
"Goodnight, Mama," whispered Sam. "Goodnight, Pip."
His eyes grew heavy. His breath grew slow. The blanket was warm. The bed was soft. Everything was calm and quiet.
Sam felt safe. Sam felt loved. And with a little smile, he drifted off to sleep.
馃寵 The End 馃寵
This story was written by AI for an example child named Sam, and it passed the same safety check every Tuck-In Tales story gets before it's sent.