Calm, gentle stories suitable for reading before sleep.
Story 6 — The Night the Lights Learned to Listen The city usually never slept. Even at night, lights blinked from tall buildings. Signals changed colors. Screens glowed softly behind windows. But tonight, something was different. Ayaan sat on the floor near the window, lining up his toy cars. One moment, the room was bright….
Story 5 — The Boat That Knew How to Wait Morning arrived quietly on the river. The water moved, but slowly, like it was still waking up. Floating houses rested side by side, tied gently to wooden posts. Some rocked a little. Some stayed almost still. Kavi stepped onto the narrow wooden walkway outside his…
Story 4 — Why the Snow Stayed Quiet The mountains were awake, but very quiet. Snow covered the roofs, the paths, and the tall trees that stood like careful listeners. Even footsteps sounded different here. Softer. Slower. Ina pulled her wool cap lower over her ears as she stepped outside with her father. Her breath…
Story 3 — The Dress That Began as a Cloud The morning air was cool and quiet. Meera walked beside her grandmother through the field, her sandals brushing against dry soil. All around them were small plants with soft white puffs sitting on their branches, like tiny clouds that had forgotten how to float. Meera…
Story 1: The Day Nothing Was Supposed to Happen Nothing special was supposed to happen that morning. That was the problem. Kayal noticed it first—not because she was searching for something, but because she always noticed what didn’t ask to be noticed. The ceiling fan in the living room was rotating slower than usual. Not…
Story 12: The Words That Didn’t Match The market was busy.Not loud.Just full. Voices moved like water.Fast.Different. Amira held Mama’s hand tightly.A woman smiled at her and said something Amira did not understand. Amira hid her face. “They sound strange,” she whispered. Mama knelt beside her.Not correcting.Listening. “They sound different,” Mama said.“That can feel confusing.”…
Story 11: The Orange Slice The park was quiet in the morning.Not empty.Just calm. Aiko sat on the steps near the swings.Her lunch box rested beside her. Inside were orange slices.Carefully peeled.Carefully placed. She watched a boy nearby build a road in the sand.He didn’t look up. Aiko opened her box.The orange smelled bright. She…
Story 10: The Bench Near the Slide The playground was loud.Laughing loud.Running loud. Luca sat on a small bench near the slide.He watched the other children climb and shout and spin. No one asked him to join. His shoes scraped the ground.Slow.Slow. “Do you want to play?” Baba asked. Luca shrugged.“They already have a game,”…
Story 9: The Last Glass of Water The light was low.The blanket was ready. “Sleep time,” Amma said softly. Kunal sat up.“I need water.” Amma nodded.She brought a small glass. Kunal drank.Slowly. When the glass was empty,he looked up again. “I need one more,” he said. Amma sat on the edge of the bed.She didn’t…
Story 8: The Quiet That Found Something The afternoon felt long.Too long. Nila lay on the floor, staring at the ceiling.She rolled to one side.Then the other. “I’m bored,” she said.The words landed flat. Papa was nearby, folding clothes.He didn’t say, Find something to do. He sat down beside her. “Bored can feel empty,” he…
