The Moss-Pillow Party

Far inside the forest, where the trees whispered and the moss was thick and soft, there lived a little mouse named Mira. Mira had tiny pink ears and a long tail. When the moon rose above the pine trees, she stepped out of her little burrow. Tonight was a very special night.

Mira was going to have a little party. Not a big, loud party, but a quiet, cozy party. Just for her closest neighbours. She had been getting everything ready all day. Now she waited in the small clearing, where the moon shone like a lamp.

In the clearing lay four soft moss pillows in a ring. One for each guest. Beside each pillow stood a tiny acorn cup full of dewdrop tea. On a birch-bark tray sat blueberries and small seeds and a piece of honey cake. Mira nodded. Everything was just as it should be.

Then Mira heard a soft rustling. Pat, pat, pat in the leaves. It was Igge, the hedgehog. He came along slowly, his tiny spines full of leaves. He yawned a big yawn. 'Good evening, little Mira,' he said in a sleepy voice. 'You have set the table so beautifully.'

Mira squeaked happily: 'Welcome, Igge! Sit on your pillow.' Igge rolled over to his moss pillow and sank into it. He dipped his nose into the acorn cup and took a tiny sip. 'Mmm,' he said. 'Dewdrop tea. My favourite.' Then he blinked slowly.

Whoosh. Whoosh. Something soft flew through the air. It was Bea, the little bat. She landed quietly on a branch and hung upside down. 'Hi, Mira,' she whispered. 'I am so tired. I flew all the way from the barn.' Mira smiled. 'Come down and sit. There is a pillow here for you too.'

Bea let go of the branch and fluttered down to her pillow. She folded her wings together like a little cape. 'How soft it is,' she said. 'The moss pillow is like a cloud.' She took a blueberry from the birch-bark tray and chewed quietly. Her eyes began to grow small and shiny.

Last of all came Bertil. Bertil was a tiny beetle with a shiny back that glimmered in the moonlight. He crawled forward on his six little legs. Krrr, krrr, krrr. He yawned so much that his little mouth went completely round. 'Sorry I am late,' he said. 'I stopped for a little rest on the way.'