Farhan Counts The Brave Sleeping Stars

Farhan stood in his garden, the evening breeze ruffling his thick, dark black hair. His parents always told him stories of great explorers who mapped the night sky. He wanted to be just like them. Beside him, his friend Hootie the owl fluttered his wings. "Sleepy time, sleepy time," Hootie clicked his beak. The big silver moon gave a massive yawn. "Not yet, Hootie! I have to count the stars before the moon falls asleep," Farhan said playfully. He grabbed the rungs of the tallest wooden ladder in the yard and climbed up, his soft brown leather sandals quietly tapping the wood. "One, two, three bright stars!" Farhan pointed. But just as he reached for the next number, a thick, gray fog rolled over the garden, swallowing the sky and hiding every single star.