🫙 The Dream Jar

On the top shelf of Grandpa Felix's study sat a glass jar full of tiny, glowing, swirling lights. "What's in there?" asked Clementine the kitten.

"Dreams," said Grandpa Felix. "Happy ones. I catch them at night with my whiskers, and keep them safe in this jar."

Clementine pressed her nose to the glass. Inside, she could see little pictures moving. A kitten flying on a paper plane. A picnic on the moon. A castle made of fish.

"Can I have one?" she asked. "Tonight," said Grandpa, "I'll let you choose a dream to borrow. But you have to give it back in the morning, so other kittens can enjoy it too."

At bedtime, Grandpa opened the jar, and a soft tinkling sound filled the room, like tiny bells. The dreams floated out and danced around Clementine's head. She chose a bright blue one that smelled of the sea.

The dream settled on her pillow. Clementine yawned, closed her eyes and suddenly she was swimming in a warm blue ocean with friendly dolphins, and she wasn't even wet! She rode on a dolphin's back and waved at a smiling whale.

In the morning, the blue dream floated out of her ear and back toward the jar, glowing a little brighter than before. "It enjoyed your visit," said Grandpa.

That night, Clementine had a dream all of her own, about a kitten with a jar full of stars. When she woke up, she caught it carefully with her whiskers, just like Grandpa had shown her, and added it to the jar. Her very first dream to share. She purred with pride.