Deep in the heart of the Enchanted Forest, where the trees stood tall as skyscrapers and the flowers bloomed in colors brighter than a crayon box, lived a kind boy named Elijah. His cottage was tucked between two giant mushrooms, soft as marshmallows, and it smelled like warm cinnamon rolls fresh from the oven. Every morning, Elijah would wake up to the tweet-tweet of birds and the rustle-rustle of leaves dancing in the breeze.

But there was one thing Elijah didn’t like—nighttime. When the sun dipped behind the trees, the forest filled with shadows that stretched like long, wiggly fingers. The air turned cool and damp, like a wet sock, and the usual sweet scent of honey and berries was replaced by something earthy, like a pile of old leaves. Hoo-hoo, the owls would call, and creak-creak, the branches would sway. Elijah’s heart would beat thump-thump like a drum, and he’d pull his blanket up to his chin, his toes curling into the fuzzy rug.

One evening, as Elijah sat by the fire, stirring a pot of bubbling soup (that smelled like tomato and basil), his best friend, a clumsy little fox named Pip, trotted in. Pip’s tail was always a mess—fluffy one moment, tangled the next—and tonight was no different. He tripped over his own paws, whump!, and landed right in Elijah’s lap. "Oof!" Pip yelped, shaking his head like a wet dog. "Elijah, I’ve got a problem. My favorite squeaky toy is stuck in the Dark Hollow!"

Elijah’s eyes widened. The Dark Hollow was the spookiest part of the forest, where the trees grew so close together they blocked out the moonlight. "But Pip," Elijah said, his voice wobbling like jelly, "what if the shadows get us?" Pip grinned, his teeth shining in the firelight. "Shadows can’t hurt us! They’re just the shapes of things when the light’s behind them. Come on, I’ll show you!"

With a deep breath, Elijah grabbed his lantern—a tiny glass jar with a firefly inside—and followed Pip into the night. The forest floor was squishy under their feet, like walking on a giant sponge, and the air smelled of damp moss and pine. Snap! A twig broke under Elijah’s foot, and he jumped. "Did you hear that?" he whispered. Pip giggled. "That’s just the forest saying hello!"

As they neared the Dark Hollow, the shadows grew longer, and the sounds of the forest changed. Hisssss, the wind whispered through the trees, and drip-drip, water fell from the leaves. Elijah’s hands trembled, and the firefly in his lantern flickered. Then—squeak!—Pip’s toy was right there, stuck under a root! Pip lunged for it, but whoosh! his tail knocked over Elijah’s lantern. The firefly flew out, and the light went out. Plop. Darkness swallowed them whole.

Elijah’s breath came fast, and his knees knocked together like castanets. "P-Pip?" he stammered. "I can’t see anything!" Pip’s voice was calm. "Close your eyes, Elijah. What do you hear?" Elijah squeezed his eyes shut. Chirp-chirp, a cricket sang. Rustle-rustle, the leaves danced. Thump-thump, his own heart beat. "I hear the forest," he whispered. "It’s not so scary."

Pip’s paw found his hand. "Now open your eyes." Slowly, Elijah did. The firefly had landed on a mushroom, glowing softly like a tiny star. The shadows weren’t so dark anymore—they were just the shapes of trees and bushes, stretching and swaying. The air smelled sweet again, like flowers and fresh rain, and the ground felt warm under his feet, like a cozy blanket.

"See?" Pip said, wagging his tail. "The dark is just the world taking a little nap. And we’re the ones who get to see its dreams!" Elijah laughed, his fear melting away like ice cream in the sun. Together, they grabbed the squeaky toy and raced back home, their laughter echoing through the trees like a song.

That night, as Elijah snuggled into bed, the forest outside his window was alive with sounds—hoo-hoo, creak-creak, rustle-rustle. But now, they sounded like a lullaby. He smiled, his eyelids growing heavy, and drifted off to sleep, unafraid of the dark.