Once upon a time, high up in the kingdom of Slumber-Hollow, lived a young wizard named Ryu. Now, Ryu wasn’t your typical wizard with a long beard and a dusty hat. Oh no! Ryu was lithe and agile, with skin as rich as cocoa and a wild mane of electric cobalt blue hair that pulsed with its own light. Zzzzzt-pop! went his hair whenever he was excited. On his forehead sat a thin, silvery scar shaped like a lightning bolt, and around his neck, he wore a polished sapphire pendant that captured the sparkle of the stars.
Ryu’s job was a very important one. Every night, he climbed the tall Star-Gazer’s Turret to wait for his friend, the Sandman. Together, they looked over the world. The Sandman would reach into his velvet bag, pull out a handful of shimmering stardust, and—poof!—the dust would drift down to help every child and every little owl fall fast asleep. Ryu loved the quiet. He loved the way the moon looked like a giant glowing lemon. But sometimes, Ryu wondered: 'My magic is so bright and bouncy. Could I ever be gentle enough to help someone sleep?'
one evening, something went very, very wrong. Ryu was stretching his arms toward the sky when he heard a loud Whoosh! followed by a heavy Plop! The Sandman landed on the turret, but he wasn't smiling. He was frantic, his hands shaking. 'Ryu! It’s gone! My bag of stardust! I was flying over the Whispering Woods and it snagged on a prickly branch!'
Ryu jumped to his feet. 'Don't worry, I’ll find it!' With a graceful leap, he bounced off the turret and soared down toward the dark trees. Can you imagine leaping through the air like a blue-haired comet? Ryu’s hair acted like a flashlight, cutting through the shadows. He searched and searched until he spotted it—a small, purple velvet bag snagged on a thorn. But when Ryu picked it up, his heart sank. The bag was torn, and all the stardust had spilled out into the wind. It was gone.
Down in the valley, the world was starting to get very grumpy. Without the stardust, the children weren't yawning; they were jumping on their beds! The puppies weren't curling up; they were barking at the moon! Ryu could hear a tiny child crying because they were scared of the dark. The Sandman looked down and sighed, 'Without the dust, the night is too sharp, Ryu. It’s too bright and too loud. No one can find the way to their dreams.'
Ryu looked at his glowing blue hair. He looked at his sapphire pendant, which was pulsing with a strong, energetic light. He had a big decision to make. He had enough magic to help, but it was his magic. It was the light that made him special, the light that kept him feeling bold and fast. If he gave it away to the world, he might feel very tired tomorrow. He might not be able to leap as high. He might just feel... ordinary.
He looked down at the crying child and the tired parents. He felt his lightning-bolt scar give a warm, brave tingle. Ryu whispered to himself, 'Being a wizard isn't about having power for yourself. It’s about knowing what others need.'
Ryu closed his deep amber eyes and took a very deep breath. In through the nose... out through the mouth. Instead of letting his magic sparkle and snap, he began to hum a low, soft melody. Mmm-hmmm-mm. He reached into his heart and pulled out the brightness, but he didn't throw it. He softened it. He turned his bright cobalt hair into a gentle, moonlit mist.
Sshhh... Sshhh...
Slowly, the sapphire pendant began to glow with a pale, milky blue. Ryu waved his hands, and the mist began to flow out from his hair like a warm, silky blanket. It didn't go Bang! or Zip! It drifted. It felt like the smell of lavender and the feel of a fresh pillow. The mist settled over the houses, softening the edges of the shadows and hushing the grumpy noises of the night.
'Look,' the Sandman whispered. The puppies stopped barking and tucked their noses under their tails. The jumping children stopped bouncing, climbed under their duvets, and let out long, happy yawns. Yaaaa-wn. Even the trees in the Whispering Woods stopped whispering and started to doze.
Ryu’s hair wasn't an electric blue anymore; it was a soft, sleepy periwinkle. He felt quite heavy and very, very drowsy. But as he looked at the peaceful world, he had a big smile on his face. He had used his magic to make a choice, and that choice had brought peace to everyone. The Sandman patted Ryu on the shoulder. 'That was the kindest magic I have ever seen, Ryu. You didn't just give them sleep; you gave them your own light.'
Ryu walked slowly back to his bed in the turret. He didn't feel like a powerful warrior or a flashy light-maker. He felt like a friend. He curled up under his silver-stitched blankets, looked up at one last star, and his eyes grew very heavy. And that is how Ryu discovered that the best way to use your magic is to share it. Before the moon could even move an inch across the sky, Ryu was fast asleep, dreaming the most wonderful, blue-tinted dreams. And everything in Slumber-Hollow was just right.
Goodnight, Ryu. Goodnight, you.