Emma loved the park, and she loved her swing best of all. One afternoon she sat on it with her teddy bear in her lap, and she swung up, and back, and up, and back. The sky was soft and pink. Emma closed her eyes, just for a moment, and began to dream.
When she opened them, the swing was floating. It drifted slowly up past the treetops, as light as a feather, and landed on a puffy white cloud.
"Oh!" said Emma. "A cloud town!"
All the houses were made of soft pillows. There were round pillows and square pillows. There were pillows in blue and pillows in yellow. The doors were pillows, too, and they went flump when you pushed them.
Teddy sat up in Emma's arms. "It smells like warm milk and clean blankets," he said, in his sleepy bear voice. Emma giggled. In a dream, a teddy bear can talk.
A little puppy trotted up the cloud road. He had floppy ears and a wiggly tail. He wore a tiny blue scarf.
"Hello!" he said. "I'm Biscuit. I'm the helper of Pillow Town. Would you like to see our swing?"
"I love swings," said Emma.
Biscuit led her down the road. Emma sniffed the air. It smelled like cinnamon. Teddy hummed a soft tune as they walked.
At the end of the road stood a big cloud swing. It hung from a rainbow. Next to it stood two little goats with fluffy white coats. One was named Nibs, and one was named Dot. Both of them were hugging the same swing rope.
"My turn!" said Nibs, and his voice was loud.
"No, my turn!" said Dot, and her voice was louder.
They pulled the rope this way and that way. The swing wobbled. A pillow tumbled off a nearby roof. Flump.
Biscuit's ears drooped. "Oh dear," he whispered. "Everyone is getting so noisy."
Emma stood still. She thought about what to do. She took a slow breath, like blowing out a birthday candle.
Then she stepped close to the goats. She spoke very softly, the way she talked to Teddy at night.
"That looks like a fun swing," she said. "You both want to go so high."
Nibs stopped pulling. Dot stopped pulling, too. The goats blinked at Emma.
"I do," said Nibs, in a smaller voice.
"Me too," said Dot, in a smaller voice still.
"I know," said Emma kindly. "Maybe you could go together? There is room for two on this big swing. And Teddy and I can give you a gentle push."
Nibs looked at Dot. Dot looked at Nibs. Then they both smiled.
"Together," said Nibs.
"Together," said Dot.
They climbed up and sat side by side. Emma and Biscuit pushed, slow and easy. Teddy cheered, "Wheee," in his soft bear voice. The swing floated up toward the rainbow and back down again. The goats laughed, and their laughs sounded like little bells.
Soon the whole town grew quiet and happy. The pillow fell back onto the roof by itself. Flump.
When the goats hopped down, Dot tucked a tiny cloud flower behind Emma's ear. Nibs gave Teddy a cinnamon-scented pillow for his very own.
"Now it's your turn, Emma," said Biscuit, wagging his tail.
Emma sat on the big swing with Teddy in her lap. Nibs and Dot gave her a slow, gentle push. Up she went, and back, and up, and back. The stars began to peek out. The cloud town glowed with warm lantern light.
Her swing grew slower and slower. Her arms felt soft. Her eyes felt heavy.
"Goodnight, Emma," said Biscuit softly.
"Goodnight," whispered Emma, and she gave a great big yawn.
Then the swing floated down, down, down, as slow as a falling feather, and everything went quiet and cozy.
Emma was snuggled in her own bed, under her own warm blanket. Teddy was tucked under her chin. A little cloud flower was on her pillow, and it smelled just a bit like cinnamon. Her room was calm and peaceful.
Emma smiled a sleepy smile. She was so glad for her swing, and her bear, and her cozy bed. She hugged Teddy tight, closed her eyes, and drifted off to sleep.
馃寵 The End 馃寵
This story was written by AI for an example child named Emma, and it passed the same safety check every Tuck-In Tales story gets before it's sent.