She was supposed to be sleeping ...

She was supposed to be sleeping ... but there was this nice elephant with a balloon ... maybe she was dreaming.  It's hard to tell, sometimes.

So she asked herself, "Should I not be riding an elephant?" ... and herself didn't seem to be worried about it, so away they went.

Pfrump ...   ...   ...  pfurump ...   ...  the slow, rolly foot sounds of the big elephant were pretty much the only noises.  The soft breeze blew silently, and the moon just floated along, and off in the distance she could see the hills and trees and maybe some snow on the mountaintops.  She quietly asked him his name, and he said it was Elijah, Elijah Elephant, and they decided right away they'd be friends.  They talked as they went along about things they liked like flowers and trees and swimming and dancing.  She hadn't known about elephants dancing before.

So, slowly they went along the trail, and the huge valley was so quiet and almost magical.  Oh, and every now and then, a star would twinkle and it sounded like a little jingle bell when it did it.  After many pfrumpy steps, she put her head down on top of the gentle elephant's head and closed her eyes.  His head was warm and comfy, and he was humming a quiet song for her.

She slept, perhaps, and dreamed she was back home with mom and dad and they were asleep, so in her dream, she ran into their room and jumped on their bed and told them about her elephant friend, and they all went outside to see if he was still there.

And he was.  He was there playing with a lot of his friends, and all the neighbors were out with them doing morning elephant bath stuff and laughing a lot.  So she took her mom and dad and joined in.  She scrubbed Elijah's feet and great big toes and scratched his back and tickled his nose and thanked him for the ride.  

Mom and Dad chatted with Elijah about happiness and about going slow, and they made plans to meet again soon.  Then she took her mom and dad and went back home and back to bed because it wasn't time to get up yet.

And because there's always a hidden lesson in such stories ... 

"I think I like elephants a lot," she thought as she drifted off to sleep.  And trees, and being outside, and in quiet places, and twinkley stars.  It's funny how being out with a friend and enjoying things slowly lets you relax and see good things.  Like peace and gentleness and friendship and love.  She liked all of that, and slept happily until time for school.
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For Ruby, because she understands all that stuff. 💚
Love,
Grandpa