A Cushion-Filled Night in the Cloud Castle

Evelyn carried one more cushion into the stargazing room. “There! Now we have plenty,” she said.

The room was round, with a wide window that curved across one wall. It sat high in the Cloud Castle, whose pale, puffy towers rose above a sea of clouds. Cushions of every shape filled the room: square ones, long ones, and little round ones like plump buns. Evelyn had stacked the biggest cushions beside the window. A tall pile of smaller cushions stood in the corner.

Her friend Marcus, a little star tailor, sat on the floor stitching a silver patch onto his night jacket. A tiny thimble made a neat hat on his head.

“Everyone will have a comfortable place,” Evelyn said. “The stars will be out soon.”

Just then, Old Owl waddled in. He looked at the long cushions beside the window. “May I sit where I can see the moon?”

“Of course!” Evelyn slid a square cushion closer to the window for him. But the big cushions still crowded the window seat, so Old Owl had to turn sideways to peek outside.

Next came two mouse cousins, Nib and Nook. They liked sitting together, so Evelyn moved a round cushion beside Old Owl’s square one. Now the mice had a snug little spot, but one long cushion had slipped right in front of the window.

Marcus set down his sewing. “That cushion is as long as a sleepy dragon,” he said.

Evelyn tugged one end. Marcus tugged the other. They shifted it toward the room’s middle. The window was clearer, but now the long cushion blocked the path to the tall stack in the corner.

A flutter of wings sounded at the door. Three little bats—Pippa, Puck, and Peep—flew in and landed on the floor.

“We’re ready to watch the stars,” said Pippa. “Which cushions are for us?”

Evelyn pointed to the tall stack. The bats looked up. The smallest cushion rested at the very top, far above their heads.

“We can’t climb that high,” said Puck.

Evelyn looked from the bats to the crowded window seat. Old Owl was still peeking sideways, and the mice were squeezed close together. The room was full of cushions, yet nobody had quite the spot they needed.

“Wait,” said Marcus, patting the floor beside the bats. “Maybe the cushions are in the wrong places.”

Evelyn looked carefully at the room. The bats were not looking at the tall stack anymore. They had curled their wings beside three low, round cushions near the wall.

“Those little cushions look just right for you,” she said.

Pippa hopped onto one. Puck tucked himself beside her, and Peep settled on the third. Their feet touched the floor, and their wings had plenty of room.

“We like these,” said Peep. “They’re easy to get on and off.”

Evelyn smiled. “Then the low round cushions belong to the bats.” She carried the tallest cushion down from the stack and set it beside the three. The bats had a low nest, with a cushion for each friend and one extra for visiting.

But there was still a problem. The long cushions crowded the window seat, and Evelyn and Marcus wanted to sit there to look at the stars.

Marcus tapped one long cushion. “This one could be our seat if we turn it sideways.”

Together, they lifted it and placed it beneath the window. Evelyn sat at one end. Marcus sat at the other. Their feet had room, and the window stretched wide above them, with the cloud tops far below.

Then Evelyn noticed Old Owl’s square cushion was still far from the moon-view. She moved it beside the long window seat, where he could sit without twisting his neck. The mice’s round cushion came next, tucked near Old Owl’s feet, with enough space for both cousins.

One by one, they made room. Evelyn shifted a small cushion away from the doorway so no one had to step over it. Marcus carried another from the tall stack and placed it beside the bats’ nest. The bats could reach it with one easy hop.

At last, Evelyn stood in the center of the room and looked around. The window seat was clear. Old Owl had his moon view. Nib and Nook had room to sit together. The bats had a low, cozy nest. And Evelyn and Marcus had a long cushion by the window.

“No one is squeezed out,” said Evelyn.

“Not even a little,” said Marcus. He smoothed the cushion beside her, and they settled in as the first stars appeared beyond the glass.

The stars came out one at a time, like tiny lamps being lit across a faraway road. Evelyn and Marcus sat side by side on the long cushion. The window framed a wide patch of night, and the moon sailed quietly past the edge of a cloud.

Old Owl leaned back on his square cushion. “That’s a fine view,” he murmured.

Nib and Nook sat shoulder to shoulder on their round cushion. They whispered the names they had made up for the stars: Spoon, Kite, and Little Button.

The three bats rested in their low nest. Pippa tucked her toes beneath her wings. Puck and Peep settled close, leaving the extra cushion open for whichever bat wanted to stretch.

Marcus pointed toward a bright star near the moon. “That one needs a new collar,” he whispered. “I’ll stitch it a silver one tomorrow.”

“Will it fit?” Evelyn whispered back.

“I’ll measure it carefully,” Marcus said, and they both smiled.

For a while, nobody spoke. The room held small sounds: a cushion creaking under Old Owl, the mice’s tiny whisper, and the quiet rustle of bat wings. Outside, the stars seemed to keep their places just for the watchers in the Cloud Castle, floating high above the clouds.

Evelyn looked around at everyone resting comfortably and felt glad the room had a place for each of them. The bats had low cushions they could reach. The mice had room together. Old Owl could see the moon. Marcus and Evelyn had a clear view through the wide window.

The room grew quieter as the night went on. Nib and Nook stopped naming stars and leaned against each other. Old Owl’s eyes closed for a moment, then opened again when a new star appeared. Pippa gave a small, sleepy yawn.

Evelyn pulled a light cloud blanket over the bats’ feet. Marcus folded his mended jacket beside him and rested his hands on the cushion. Nobody was crowded, and nobody needed to move.

Above the castle, the stars held steady in the dark. Inside the round room, every guest had a comfortable spot, and Evelyn sat peacefully beside her friend until the night was ready to carry them into sleep.