⏱ ~4 min reading
High above the roof of the small house where the boy Timko lived, a cloud slowly floated by. Her name was Pukhninka. She was very small—smaller than a pillow—and soft, like freshly whipped cream. During the day, she was almost unnoticed. But at night, when the world quieted down and the moon rose into the sky like a good old lantern, Pukhninka would descend lower and lower and stand right above Timko's crib.
No one knew about it. Not mom, not dad, not even the cat Vasko, who slept at his feet. Tymko himself didn't know either. He just lay down every night, closed his eyes — and slept sweetly, evenly, quietly, like a stream under the ice.
Meanwhile, Pukhninka was working.
Her work was very quiet and very kind. If a small, dark, prickly thought arose in Timko's head somewhere deep down - about a scary shadow in the corner, about a rustling outside the window, about the wolf in the picture - Pukhninka would gently stretch out her fluffy edge, catch this thought like a butterfly in the palm of your hand, and carefully carry it far, far away. To where thoughts dissolve in the night air and no longer scare anyone.
That's why Tymkov only had good dreams. About warm bread in his grandmother's oven. About yellow chickens in the yard. About a small boat on the pond.
But one evening, Timko had a restless day. He ran for a long time, got tired, then saw a shadow on TV that he didn't like. And when he fell asleep, a dream stirred in his head. A bad dream. He dreamed of a big, big wolf with green eyes.
Timko woke up. He sat up in bed. The blanket slipped a little, his chest was beating fast, fast, like a sparrow's. He wanted to call his mother, but his voice was lost somewhere.
And then - from above, from the very ceiling - Pukhninka quietly descended. For the first time, Tymko saw her with his own eyes. She was so soft, so white and a little silvery from the moonlight, that his fear immediately began to subside.
"Don't be afraid, little one," the cloud whispered in a voice like the rustling of down. "I'm here. I'm always here. Tell me your fear, and I'll take it away.".
Timko silently snuggled up against her fluffy side. The little cloud was warm, like his mother's neck after a bath.
"There was a wolf," the boy said in a whisper. "A big one. With green eyes.".
"Here," said Fluffy gently. "Give me this dream. I'll take it with me. It's not scary to me. I'm a cloud - I'm soft, nothing can touch me.".
Timko imagined that wolf once more—for the last time—and mentally gave him to the cloud. And Fluffy quietly took him into her fluffy barrel. The dream disappeared.
Timko yawned. His eyes began to feel heavy, like two small drops of dew.
"And now," whispered Fluffy, "lay your head on the pillow. I'll stay by your side. And I'll bring you a good night's sleep in return. For your courage. For trusting me.".
Timko laid his head down. The pillow smelled of chamomile—his mother washed it with herbal water. The blanket lay on his shoulders with a warm tail. Somewhere outside the window, an old maple tree was rustling softly. The moon stood behind the branches and shone evenly and calmly.
The fluffy one gently stroked the boy's head with its fluffy edge. Once. Second. Third. Timko's breathing became more even, slower, deeper. His eyelids closed, like the petals of a flower in the evening.
And completely out of his sleep, Timko heard a cloud softly purring—something wordless, like a lullaby that his great-grandmother had sung long ago, when he was still very little.
And in the morning he woke up with a smile. The sun was shining into the room, Vasko the cat was sitting on the blanket, and all that remained in his head was a beautiful, beautiful dream - about warm bread and yellow chickens.
From that day on, Timko knew a little secret. If it gets scary at night, all he has to do is whisper softly: «Pukhnynka, I’m here.» And the cloud will descend. It will take away the fear. And bring sweet sleep in its place. Because that’s her job — the kindest job in the world.
And Timko is already fast asleep. You are sleeping too. Pukhninka is nearby.
✨ When there is someone to confide in, even the biggest fear becomes small ✨