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Speaker 1: Hello friends, and welcome to sleep Tight Stories. This story

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Speaker 1: was originally published in sleep tighte Premium. To listen to

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Speaker 1: more stories like this, please visit sleep tightepremium dot com

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Speaker 1: and subscribe That's sleeptightpremium dot com. Thank you. Have you

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Speaker 1: ever seen an opal? It is a beautiful stone associated

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Speaker 1: with the month of October. In this story, we will

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Speaker 1: hear a story of how the opal came to be

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Speaker 1: so beautiful. The Story of the Opal. The sun was

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Speaker 1: shining brightly one day, and a little sunbeam slid down

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Speaker 1: his golden ladder and crept unseen under the leaves of

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Speaker 1: a large tree. All the sunbeams are in reality, tiny

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Speaker 1: sun fairies who run down to Earth on golden ladders

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Speaker 1: which look to us like rays of the sun. When

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Speaker 1: they see a cloud coming, they climb their ladders in

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Speaker 1: an instant and draw them up after them into the sun.

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Speaker 1: The Sun is ruled by a mighty fairy who every

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Speaker 1: morning tells his tiny servants the beams where they are

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Speaker 1: to shine, and every evening counts them on their return

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Speaker 1: to see he has the right number. It is not known,

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Speaker 1: but the Sun and Moon are enemies, and that is

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Speaker 1: why they never shine at the same time. The fairy

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Speaker 1: of the moon is a woman, and all her beams

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Speaker 1: are tiny women who come down on the loveliest little ladders,

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Speaker 1: like threads of silver. No one knows why the sun

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Speaker 1: and moon quarreled. Once they were very good friends, but

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Speaker 1: now they are enemies, and the sunbeams and moonbeams may

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Speaker 1: not play together. One day, a little sunbeam crept into

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Speaker 1: a tree and sat down near a bullfinch's nest and

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Speaker 1: watched the bullfinch and its partner. Why shouldn't I have

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Speaker 1: a partner also, he said to himself. He was the

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Speaker 1: prettiest little fellow you could imagine. His hair was bright gold,

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Speaker 1: and he sat still, leaning on one arm on his

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Speaker 1: tiny ladder and listening to the chatter of the birds.

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Speaker 1: But I shall try to keep awake tonight to see her,

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Speaker 1: said a young bullfinch. Nonsense, said its mother. You shall

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Speaker 1: do no such thing. But the nightingale says, she is

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Speaker 1: so very lovely, said a wren, looking out from her

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Speaker 1: little nest in a hedge close by the nightingale, said

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Speaker 1: the old bullfinch scornfully. Everyone knows that the nightingale was

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Speaker 1: moonstruck long ago. Who can trust a word he says. Nevertheless,

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Speaker 1: I would like to see her, said the wren. I

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Speaker 1: have seen her, and the nightingale is right, said a

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Speaker 1: wood dove in his soft cooing tones. I was awake

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Speaker 1: last night and saw her. She is more lovely than

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Speaker 1: anything that ever came here before. Who are you talking about,

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Speaker 1: asked the sunbeam, and he shot across to the bullfinch's nest.

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Speaker 1: All the birds were silent when they saw him. At last,

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Speaker 1: the bullfinch said, only of a moonbeam, your highness, No

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Speaker 1: one your highness would care about. For the bullfinch remembered

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Speaker 1: the quarrel between the sun and the moon and did

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Speaker 1: not like to say much. What is she like, asked

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Speaker 1: the sunbeam. I have never seen a moonbeam. I have

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Speaker 1: seen her, and she is as beautiful as an angel,

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Speaker 1: said the wood dove. But you would have to ask

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Speaker 1: the nightingale. He knows more about her than anyone, for

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Speaker 1: he always comes out to sing for her. Where is

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Speaker 1: the nightingale, asked the sunbeam. He is resting now, said

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Speaker 1: the wren, and will not say a word. But later,

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Speaker 1: as the sun begins to set, he will come out

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Speaker 1: and tell you. At the time when all decent birds

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Speaker 1: are going to roost, grumbled the bullfinch. I will wait

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Speaker 1: till the nightingale comes, said the sunbeam. So all day

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Speaker 1: long he shone around the tree. As the sun moved

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Speaker 1: slowly down, his ladder dropped with it, lower and lower,

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Speaker 1: for it was fastened to the sun at one end.

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Speaker 1: And if he had allowed the sun to disappear before

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Speaker 1: he had run back and drawn it up, the ladder

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Speaker 1: would have been broken against the earth, and the poor

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Speaker 1: little sunbeam could never go home again, but would have

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Speaker 1: wandered about, becoming paler and paler every minute, until at

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Speaker 1: last he faded away. But some time before the sun

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Speaker 1: had gone, when it was still shining in a glorious

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Speaker 1: bed of red and gold, the nightingale arose and began

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Speaker 1: to sing loud and clear. Oh is it you, at last,

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Speaker 1: said the sunbeam. How I have waited for you? Tell

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Speaker 1: me quickly, please about this moonbeam whom they are all

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Speaker 1: talking about. What shall I tell you of her? Sang

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Speaker 1: the nightingale. She is more beautiful than the rose. She

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Speaker 1: is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. Her

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Speaker 1: hair is silver, and the light of her eyes is

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Speaker 1: far more lovely than yours. But why would you want

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Speaker 1: to know about her. You belong to the sun and

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Speaker 1: don't like moonbeams. I do not dislike them, said the sunbeam.

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Speaker 1: What are they like? Show this one to me some night,

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Speaker 1: dear nightingale. I cannot show her to you now, answered

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Speaker 1: the nightingale, for she will not come out till long

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Speaker 1: after the sun has set. But wait a few days,

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Speaker 1: and when the moon is full, she will come a

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Speaker 1: little before the sunsets. And if you hide beneath a leaf,

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Speaker 1: you may look at her, but you must promise not

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Speaker 1: to shine on her, or you might hurt her or

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Speaker 1: break her ladder. I will promise, said the sunbeam, And

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Speaker 1: every day he came back to the same tree at

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Speaker 1: sunset to talk to the nightingale about the moonbeam, till

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Speaker 1: the bullfinch was quite angry. Tonight. I will see her

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Speaker 1: at last, he said to himself, for the moon was

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Speaker 1: almost full and would rise before the sun had set.

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Speaker 1: He hid in the oak leaves, trembling with expectation. She

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Speaker 1: is coming, said the nightingale, and the sunbeam peeped out

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Speaker 1: from the branches and watched. In a minute or two,

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Speaker 1: a tiny silver ladder like a thread was placed among

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Speaker 1: the leaves near the Nightingale's nest, and down came the moonbeam,

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Speaker 1: and our little sunbeam looked out and saw her. She

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Speaker 1: did not look at all as he had expected she would,

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Speaker 1: but he agreed with the nightingale that she was the

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Speaker 1: loveliest thing he had ever seen. She was all silver

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Speaker 1: and pale, pale, greeny blue. Her hair and her eyes

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Speaker 1: shone like stars. All the sunbeams looked bright and hot,

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Speaker 1: but she looked as cool as the sea. Yet she

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Speaker 1: glittered like a diamond. The sunbeam gazed at her in surprise,

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Speaker 1: unable to say a word, till all at once he

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Speaker 1: saw that his little ladder was bending. The sun was sinking,

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Speaker 1: and he had only just time to scramble back and

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Speaker 1: draw his ladder after him. The moonbeam only saw his

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Speaker 1: light vanishing, and did not see him. Who were you

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Speaker 1: talking to, dear nightingale, she asked, putting her beautiful white

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Speaker 1: arms around his neck and leaning her head on him.

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Speaker 1: To a sunbeam, answered the nightingale, Ah, how beautiful he is.

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Speaker 1: I was telling him about you. He wants to see you.

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Speaker 1: I have never seen a sunbeam, said the moonbeam wistfully.

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Speaker 1: I would like to see one so much, And all

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Speaker 1: night long She sat close beside the nightingale, with her

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Speaker 1: head leaning on him, while he sang to her of

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Speaker 1: the sunbeam. And his song was so loud and clear

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Speaker 1: that it woke the bulfinch, who flew into a rage

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Speaker 1: and declared that if it went on any longer, she

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Speaker 1: would speak to the owl about it and have it stopped.

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Speaker 1: For the owl was chief judge and always took care

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Speaker 1: of any problems when they came up. But the nightingale

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Speaker 1: never stopped, and the moonbeam listened till the tears rose

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Speaker 1: in her eyes and her lips quivered. Tonight, then I

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Speaker 1: shall see him, whispered the moonbeam. She kissed the nightingale

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Speaker 1: and said goodbye to him. And tonight he will see you,

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Speaker 1: said the nightingale, as he settled to rest among the leaves.

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Speaker 1: All that next day was cloudy and the sun did

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Speaker 1: not shine. But towards evening the clouds passed away, and

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Speaker 1: the sun came forth. And no sooner had it appeared

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Speaker 1: than the nightingale saw our sunbeam's ladder placed close to

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Speaker 1: his nest, and in an instant the sunbeam was beside him. Dear,

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Speaker 1: dear nightingale, he said, you are right. She is more

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Speaker 1: lovely than the dawn. I have thought of her all

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Speaker 1: night and all day. Tell me, will she come again tonight?

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Speaker 1: I will wait to see her. Yes, she will come,

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Speaker 1: and you may speak to her, but you must not

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Speaker 1: touch her, said the nightingale, And then they were silent

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Speaker 1: and waited. Underneath the oak tree lay a large white stone,

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Speaker 1: a common white stone, neither beautiful nor useful, for it

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Speaker 1: lay there where it had fallen and complained that it

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Speaker 1: had no object in life. It never spoke to the birds,

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Speaker 1: who scarcely knew it could speak. But sometimes if the

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Speaker 1: nightingale landed on it and touched it with its soft feathers,

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Speaker 1: or the moonbeam shone upon it, it felt as if

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Speaker 1: it would break with grief, that it would be so

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Speaker 1: silly and useless. It watched the sunbeams and moonbeams come

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Speaker 1: down on their ladders, and wondered why none of the

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Speaker 1: birds but the nightingale thought that the moonbeam was beautiful.

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Speaker 1: That evening, as the sunbeam sat waiting, the stone watched

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Speaker 1: it eagerly, And when the moonbeam placed her tiny ladder

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Speaker 1: among the leaves and slid down it, it listened to

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Speaker 1: all that was said. At first, the moonbeam did not speak,

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Speaker 1: for she did not see the sunbeam, but she came

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Speaker 1: close to the nightingale and kissed it as usual. Have

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Speaker 1: you seen him again, she asked, And on hearing this,

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Speaker 1: the sunbeam shot out from among the green leaves and

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Speaker 1: stood before her for a few minutes. She was silent.

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Speaker 1: Then she began to shiver and sob, and drew nearer

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Speaker 1: and nearer to the nightingale. And if the sunbeam tried

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Speaker 1: to approach her, she climbed up her ladder and went farther. Still,

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Speaker 1: do not be frightenedest, moonbeam, he cried, I would not

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Speaker 1: do you any harm. You are so very lovely, and

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Speaker 1: I love you so much. The moonbeam turned away, crying.

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Speaker 1: I do not want you to leave me, she said,

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Speaker 1: for if you touch me, I will not be allowed

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Speaker 1: to stay. It would have been much better for you

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Speaker 1: not to have seen me. And now I cannot go

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Speaker 1: back and be happy in the moon, for I will

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Speaker 1: be always thinking of you. I do not care if

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Speaker 1: I get stuck here or not. Now that I have

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Speaker 1: seen you and see, said the moonbeam sadly, my end

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Speaker 1: is sure, for the sun is fast sinking, and I

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Speaker 1: will not return to it. I will stay with you.

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Speaker 1: Go while you have time, cried the moonbeam. But even

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Speaker 1: as she spoke, the sun sank beneath the horizon, and

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Speaker 1: the tiny gold ladder of the sunbeam broke with a snap,

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Speaker 1: and the two sides fell to the earth and melted away. See,

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Speaker 1: said the sunbeam. I cannot return now, nor do I

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Speaker 1: wish to. I will remain here with you until I

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Speaker 1: fade away. No, no, cried the moonbeam. Oh, I have

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Speaker 1: made this happen. What will I do? And look, there

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Speaker 1: are clouds drifting near the moon. If one of them

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Speaker 1: floats across my ladder, it will break it. But I

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Speaker 1: cannot go and leave you here. And she leaned across

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Speaker 1: the leaves to where the sunbeam sat and looked into

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Speaker 1: his eyes. But the nightingale saw that a tiny white

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Speaker 1: cloud was sailing close by the moon, A little cloud,

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Speaker 1: no bigger than a spot of white wool, but quite

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Speaker 1: big and strong enough to break the Moonbeam's little ladder.

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Speaker 1: Go go at once, see your ladder will break, he

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Speaker 1: sang to her. Like She did not notice him, but

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Speaker 1: sat watching the sunbeam sadly. For a moment, the Moon's

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Speaker 1: light was obscured as the tiny cloud sailed past it.

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Speaker 1: Then the little silver ladder fell to earth, broken in two,

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Speaker 1: and shrunk away, but the moonbeam did not notice it.

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Speaker 1: It does not matter, she said, for I would never

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Speaker 1: have gone back and left you here now that I

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Speaker 1: have seen you so All night long they sat together

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Speaker 1: in the oak tree, and the nightingale sang to them,

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Speaker 1: and the other birds grumbled that he kept them awake,

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Speaker 1: but the two were very happy, though the Sunbeam knew

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Speaker 1: he was growing paler every moment, for he could not

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Speaker 1: survive twenty four hours away from the sun. When the

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Speaker 1: dawn began to appear, the moonbeam shivered and trembled. The

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Speaker 1: strong sun, she said, would hurt me. But I fear

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Speaker 1: something even worse than the sun. See how heavy the

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Speaker 1: clouds are. Surely it is going to rain, and rain

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Speaker 1: would harm us both at once. Oh, where can we

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Speaker 1: look for shelter before it comes? The Sunbeam looked up

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Speaker 1: and saw that the rain was coming. Come. He said,

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Speaker 1: let us go, and they wandered out into the forest

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Speaker 1: and sought for a sheltering place, But every moment they

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Speaker 1: grew weaker. When they were gone, the stone looked up

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Speaker 1: at the nightingale and said, oh, why did they go?

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Speaker 1: I like to hear them talk. And they are so pretty.

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Speaker 1: They can find no shelter out there, and they will

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Speaker 1: fade at once. Look in my side there is a

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Speaker 1: large hole where it is quite dark and into which

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Speaker 1: no rain can come. Fly after them and tell them

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Speaker 1: to come that I will shelter them. So the nightingale

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Speaker 1: spread his wings and flew, singing, come back, come back.

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Speaker 1: The stone will shelter you. Come back at once. Before

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Speaker 1: the rain falls, they had wandered out into an open field.

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Speaker 1: But when she heard the nightingale, the moonbeam turned her

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Speaker 1: head and said, surely that is the nightingale singing. See

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Speaker 1: he is calling us. Follow me, sang the bird back

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Speaker 1: at once to shelter in the stone. But the moonbeam

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Speaker 1: tottered and fell. I have grown so weak and pale,

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Speaker 1: she said, I can no longer move. Then the nightingale

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Speaker 1: flew to earth. Climb upon my back, he said, and

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Speaker 1: I will take you both back to the stone. So

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Speaker 1: they both sat upon his back, and he flew with

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Speaker 1: them to the large stone beneath the tree. Get in,

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Speaker 1: he said, stopping in front of the hole, and both

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Speaker 1: passed into the hole and nestled into the darkness within

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Speaker 1: the stone. Then the rain began. All day long it rained,

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Speaker 1: and the nightingale sat in his nest half asleep. But

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Speaker 1: when the moon rose after the sun had set, the

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Speaker 1: clouds cleared away, and the air was again full of

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Speaker 1: tiny silver ladders, down which the moonbeams came. But the

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Speaker 1: nightingale looked in vain for his own particular moonbeam. He

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Speaker 1: knew she could not shine on him again. Therefore he

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Speaker 1: was sad and sang a sorrowful song. Then he flew

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Speaker 1: down to the stone and sang a song at the

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Speaker 1: mouth of the hole. But there came no answer. So

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Speaker 1: he looked down the hole into the stone, but there

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Speaker 1: was no trace of the sunbeam or the moonbeam, only

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Speaker 1: one shining spot of light where they had rested. Then

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Speaker 1: the nightingale knew that they had faded away. They could

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Speaker 1: not live away from the sun and the moon. He said, still,

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Speaker 1: I wish I had never told the sunbeam of her beauty,

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Speaker 1: then she would be here now. When the bullfinch heard it,

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Speaker 1: she was quite pleased. Now at last, she said, we

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Speaker 1: shall hear the end of the moonbeam. How much they

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Speaker 1: must have loved each other, said the dove. I am

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Speaker 1: glad at least that they met each other, and she

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Speaker 1: cooed sadly. But through the sun stone, where the beams

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Speaker 1: had sheltered, shot up bright beautiful rays of light, silver

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Speaker 1: and gold. They colored it all over with every color

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Speaker 1: of the rainbow, and when the sun or moon warmed

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Speaker 1: it with their light, it became quite brilliant, so that

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Speaker 1: the stone, from being the ugliest thing in the whole

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Speaker 1: forest became the most beautiful. Men found it and called

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Speaker 1: it the Opal, But the nightingale knew that it was

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Speaker 1: the sunbeam and moonbeam, who, fading away, had suffused the

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Speaker 1: stone with their mingled colors and light. And the nightingale

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Speaker 1: will never forget them, for every night he sings their story,

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Speaker 1: and that is why his song is so sad. And

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Speaker 1: that's the end of our stone. Sorry, good night, sleep

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Speaker 1: tight