Luna lay curled in her cozy den beneath a sprawling oak. Usually, she woke buzzing with excitement, her fluffy tail twitching at the thought of chasing fireflies or admiring shimmering stars. But today, the world felt faded, as if someone had turned down the brightness. "I don’t feel special today," she sighed, her big green eyes duller than usual as she wrapped her lavender scarf closer around her neck.
Luna wandered through the woods, her paws brushing dewdrops from ferns. She paused beneath a cluster of chattering sparrows, watching their feathers shimmer in the light. "Have you seen my sparkle?" she asked, but the birds only cocked their heads and sang on, unaware of her fading glow. She continued, her steps slower, hoping someone would know where her special shine had gone.
The frogs, with their jewel-toned skin, blinked at Luna as she sat beside them. "I used to love the way the dew glistened here," she murmured, peering into the rippling surface. But even the playful flicks of frog tongues and the gentle swirl of tadpoles couldn't awaken her sparkle. The frogs shrugged in their own froggy way, uncertain how to help.
Luna hesitated, sensing calm wisdom in the air. She approached the turtle, her tail dragging softly. "Excuse me, have you ever lost your sparkle?" The turtle opened one gentle eye, a slow smile spreading across his weathered face. "Sparkle doesn’t disappear," he said kindly, his voice deep and steady. "Sometimes, it just rests. Give it time—and listen to your heart."
Luna closed her eyes, letting the hush of the woods fill her ears. She focused on her breath, the way her chest rose and fell, and the warm, gentle feeling that began to grow inside her. Thoughts of stars, dewdrops, and fireflies drifted through her mind, and she realized her love for these things was still there—just quieter, deeper.
Opening her eyes, Luna padded to the riverbank, her scarf fluttering in the night breeze. In the tranquil surface, her green eyes shone with a soft, inner light—her sparkle had returned, not as a burst of brightness, but as a gentle, steady glow. "It’s enough," she whispered, a peaceful smile curling her lips. And as the stars watched from above, Luna’s calm glow became her truest kind of special.
