Avey and the Night of Talking Things
It was a quiet night, and Avey was tucked into bed, her favorite long wavy brown hair brushed neatly over her pillow. But instead of closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep, she peeked at her small TV across the room.
“Just a little TV before bed,” Avey whispered to herself, grabbing the remote. “No big deal.”
She turned it on, the screen glowing softly in the dark. The familiar sounds of her favorite cartoon filled the room, and Avey smiled, propping herself up with her blanket.
The Talking Water Bottle
Just as Avey was getting cozy, she heard a small voice.
“Avey, you should be asleep,” it said.
She looked around, confused. “Who said that?”
“It’s me, your nighttime water bottle,” the voice replied. Sure enough, her pink water bottle filled with warm milk was sitting on her bedside table, looking at her with tiny eyes that weren’t there before.
“Whoa!” Avey said, blinking. “I must be dreaming. There’s no way my water bottle is talking!”
The bottle sighed. “Avey, it’s late. You need to go to sleep. Watching TV all night isn’t good for you.”
Avey waved her hand dismissively. “This is just a silly dream. I’ll go to sleep in a second.”
She turned her attention back to the TV.
The Room Comes to Life
The water bottle wasn’t done, though. Suddenly, her lamp blinked on and off. “Avey, turn off the TV and go to bed!” it said in a scolding tone.
Then her stuffed bear joined in. “You’ll be too tired to have fun tomorrow!”
Even the clock on her wall chimed in. “Tick-tock, Avey! Time for bed!”
Avey groaned, pulling her blanket over her head. “This is so weird. It’s just a dream, and I’ll wake up soon. I’m fine!”
But the objects kept warning her, their voices growing louder. “Go to sleep, Avey! Stop watching TV!”
Kiki’s Warning
Just then, her door creaked open, and Kiki peeked in. “Avey, what are you doing up so late?” Kiki asked, rubbing her eyes. “If you don’t go to bed, you’re going to be too tired tomorrow to have any fun!”
Avey laughed nervously. “It’s fine, Kiki. I’ll sleep in a second. Don’t worry!”
Kiki sighed. “Okay, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.” She shuffled back to her room, leaving Avey alone with her talking objects.
Still, Avey kept watching TV. “One more episode,” she told herself. But one more turned into another, and soon an entire hour had passed.
The Next Morning
The next day, Avey woke up feeling groggy and confused. “Ugh, I’m so tired,” she mumbled, rubbing her eyes. She glanced at the clock and gasped.
“It’s already 10:30?! What happened to the morning?”
She stumbled out of bed and into the kitchen, where everyone was finishing breakfast. Her cereal bowl was waiting for her, but the milk had turned soggy, and the flakes were mushy.
“You slept in so late,” Dad said with a laugh. “We’ve been waiting for you to join us.”
“Yeah,” Kiki added, taking a big bite of her toast. “I told you to go to sleep. Now you missed the fun morning stuff!”
Avey groaned, poking at her soggy cereal. “I should’ve listened to everyone—and my water bottle!”
A Lesson Learned
That night, when it was bedtime, Avey didn’t turn on her TV. She climbed into bed and smiled at her water bottle. “Goodnight, Sparkles. No TV tonight.”
The water bottle gave a tiny, happy hum as Avey snuggled into her blanket.
And from then on, Avey always made sure to go to bed on time, so she could enjoy her mornings with her family—and fresh cereal.
The End
Goodnight, Avey. May your dreams be as bright as your mornings.
