When Sleepwalking Bears Dream

Lily followed the golden fox deeper into the forest. The fox paused, its tail flickering like flame.

"We must be quiet," whispered Cleo the fox. "Great bear sleepswalks tonight."

Lily's eyes went wide. A sleepwalking bear? She tiptoed behind Cleo until they reached a moonlit clearing. There, a massive brown bear shuffled in slow, jerky circles. His arms dangled. His head lolled. He looked like a zombie from Lily's storybooks—but not scary. Just deeply, impossibly asleep.

"Bern dreams of honey," said Cleo. "Every full moon, he sleepwalks searching for it."

The bear shuffled toward a sparkling pool. Lily gasped. A tiny goldfish with scales like melted sunshine swam to the surface. The fish blew a bubble that popped, releasing the scent of wild honey.

Bern the bear followed the scent, shuffling toward a towering palm tree. But at its base, he stumbled and couldn't rise.

"He's stuck in his dream," said Cleo. "He forgets to wake."

Lily knelt beside the bear. "Bern? Can you hear me?"

The bear's eyes opened slightly, sleepy and sad. "Honey... so far..."

Lily had an idea. She scrambled up the palm tree and knocked down three coconuts. The goldfish splashed water onto the ground, making mud. Lily mixed the coconut water with sweet berries she found.

She held the bowl to Bern's nose. His eyes flew wide. "Honey!" He licked the mixture, sighed happily, and curled into a ball, truly sleeping now.

Cleo nudged Lily. "You saw the bear, not the zombie. You saw the dreamer, not the monster."

Lily smiled as the goldfish leaped, creating a rainbow before diving back into its magical pool. Some things, she learned, aren't what they seem at first glance—especially friends you haven't met yet.