The star shower! Aurora’s party!
Beauty had forgotten about them. She had promised to be there. Had she missed the whole thing?
Aurora swept Beauty into her arms. She nuzzled the back of her ears.
“Don’t worry,” she said. “It’s not midnight yet. I was getting ready, but I couldn’t find you or Bloom anywhere. Merryweather told me where to go.”
She looked around the cottage. “You found my old home! And my wonderful old friends.” The animals gathered around Aurora. She greeted them one by one.
“Everyone should come to my party,” she said. “But we have to hurry!”
The chipmunks put away the nuts and berries. The bunnies swept the floor with their cottontails. The birds pulled the curtains shut. Then Aurora and all her friends left the cottage. They hurried through the woods. They made it to the castle just before midnight.
The castle was lit up as if stars had already fallen onto its stone walls. Torches lined the walkways. Lanterns lit the halls. In the courtyard, the puppet show was under way.
Beauty craned her head as she passed. There was a cat puppet!
“We can come back later,” Aurora told her. “The puppet show will be here for a week.”
They went to the middle of the garden. Soft pillows were piled on the grass. Aurora sat on one. Beauty sat next to her. Bloom sat on the other side. They turned their faces to the sky just as the stars began to drop.
Beauty was wide awake. She didn’t even blink. The star shower was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. It was like good fairy magic raining through a midnight-blue sky.
“That was amazing,” Bloom said as the star shower began to slow down.
Beauty smiled. “It was definitely worth staying awake for,” she said.
Then, with a little bow to Aurora, Bloom began her star dance. Aurora clapped and swayed along with the beat.
Beauty had never felt so happy. She had learned so much today!
She learned that she was braver than she thought. She learned that the woods weren’t so spooky. She learned that some things were more fun than sleeping.
“I have another surprise,” Aurora said. She touched Beauty on the tip of her nose. “Come with me!”
Another surprise? Beauty doubted that this day could get any better.
Beauty followed Aurora to a terrace that overlooked the palace garden. She gasped when she saw what was there—
A new kitten bed!
It wasn’t just any kitten bed, though. It was a big, fancy lounge chair. It had lots of fluffy, colorful pillows piled on top. They looked as soft as clouds.
Beauty climbed on top of the pillows. She kneaded them with her paws. She turned around twice. She lay down. Then she purred. It was perfect.
Seconds later, Beauty fell asleep.
Beauty: Aurora's Sleepy Kitten Page 2