Love & home · Sunday night

The Warm Way Home

A Hush Hollow bedtime story · read in a house voice · ages 2–5

The Meadow goes soft and gold, and the day is nearly done. Here is the long grass, leaning over to sleep. Here is the warm flat stone, holding the last of the sun. Here is the little path that runs home through the grass. Fox and Mouse had played the whole day long, and now they were tired, all the way down to their toes.

"It's far," said Mouse, very small. The dark came soft over the Meadow, and home was all the way across it. "We'll go slow," said Fox. "Home, home, soft and slow."

So they went, soft and slow, through the long grey grass. And padding up beside them, quiet as the dusk, came Honey. Honey wound once around them, warm and easy, and walked them home the long way, in no hurry at all.

Here is the first star, come out to light the path. Here is the dew, cool and quiet on the grass. Here is the bend in the path, halfway home, where the grass grows tall. Here is the warm glow, low in the hollow ahead — the small gold light that means home.

Home, home, soft and slow.

And then they were there. Into the warm hollow they went, out of the dark and the dew. Honey turned around three times and settled down soft, and the whole place went cozy just because she was in it.

Fox leaned on Mouse. Mouse leaned on Fox. Honey curled close and gave a low, warm purr — the kind that means safe. She blinked at them, slow and kind: the slow blink that means I love you.

Outside, the Meadow was still. The Moon was up, watching over the long grass. Fox gave a slow yawn. Mouse gave a slower one.

Home, home, soft and slow.

Now it is time for the goodnights. Goodnight, long grass. Goodnight, warm flat stone. Goodnight, little path. Goodnight, first star. Goodnight, Honey, curled and purring. Goodnight, Moon. Goodnight, Fox. Goodnight, Mouse.