The night was supposed to be like any other night in Lala’s cozy little house. The lamps were dim, the air smelled faintly of jasmine tea, and her favorite blanket was already waiting for her on the bed. But tonight, sleep was nowhere to be found.
Why? Because earlier that evening, her mother had announced something magical:
“Lala,” she said with a big smile, “tomorrow morning we’re going on a picnic!”
A picnic! The very word made Lala’s heart leap with joy. She had been waiting for something exciting like this for weeks. She imagined wide green fields, birds singing, baskets full of delicious food, and games under the blue sky. From that very moment, her excitement was so big that she felt her whole body buzzing.
Lala rushed into her room and began preparing as if the trip were happening right that second. She lined up her favorite things on the bed: her little red backpack, her water bottle with a bunny sticker, her favorite yellow hat, and the polka-dot dress she wanted to wear. She even picked out two books to read under the shade of a tree.
But after all the preparations, when the clock struck nine, it was bedtime. Her parents reminded her gently, “You need to sleep early if you want to have lots of energy for tomorrow.”
Lala nodded, climbed into bed, and pulled the blanket up to her chin. She closed her eyes… but her mind refused to rest.
She imagined the picnic basket: What would be inside? Sandwiches with cheese? Sweet strawberries? Maybe a chocolate cake? She could almost taste them. Her stomach gave a happy growl, though she had already eaten dinner.
She tossed to one side. She turned to the other. Still, no sleep.
“Maybe if I count sheep,” she thought. “One… two… three…” But instead of sheep, her mind replaced them with bouncing sandwiches and dancing bananas, making her giggle instead of yawn.
Minutes turned into hours. The night grew deeper, but Lala’s excitement grew stronger. She whispered into the darkness, “I wish tomorrow would come faster!”
Her little brother, Bon, was fast asleep in the next bed. Lala looked at him enviously. “How can he sleep so easily when tomorrow is going to be so amazing?” she wondered. She shook her head and hugged her teddy bear tightly. “If I were him, I would be dreaming of cake right now.”
Lala decided to sneak out of bed and peek into the living room. Maybe her parents were still awake. Indeed, she found her father quietly packing more things: a picnic blanket, a frisbee, and some bottles of juice.
“Papa,” Lala whispered, tiptoeing closer. “I can’t sleep. I’m too excited.”
Her father chuckled softly. “I understand, sweetheart. When I was your age, I couldn’t sleep before picnics either. But the more you rest, the more fun you’ll have tomorrow.”
He kissed her forehead and guided her gently back to bed. Lala agreed, but once she lay down again, her eyes popped open instantly. She thought about the meadow, the sunshine, the games, and the laughter that awaited.
The clock ticked loudly, and the night seemed endless. Lala sighed dramatically. “This must be the longest night of my life!”
She tried every trick she knew: closing her eyes tightly, hiding under her blanket, even humming a lullaby to herself. But nothing worked. The thought of tomorrow was too powerful.
At one point, she got up and opened her backpack again just to check if everything was ready. She even added her crayons and a sketchbook because maybe she would want to draw the flowers at the picnic. “Yes, that’s perfect,” she told herself proudly.
Finally, she climbed back into bed and whispered to the stars outside her window, “Please hurry, tomorrow. I’m ready.”
But even though she couldn’t sleep, something magical was happening. While she lay awake, Lala’s imagination painted vivid pictures of the picnic. She saw herself running across green fields, laughing with Bon, eating juicy watermelon, and lying under a big oak tree watching the clouds drift by. She planned the games they would play: hide and seek, tug-of-war, and maybe even flying a kite.
Slowly, her eyelids grew heavier. Her excitement turned into a sweet dream. In her dream, she was already at the picnic, wearing her yellow hat and skipping happily with a butterfly leading the way.
When morning finally arrived, Lala’s mother came to wake her.
“Good morning, sleepyhead,” she said with a smile.
To everyone’s surprise, Lala didn’t leap out of bed immediately. She rubbed her eyes and mumbled, “But… wasn’t I already at the picnic?” She blinked, realizing it had all been a dream. Her excitement burst back in full force, and she jumped up.
“Today is the day! Today is the picnic!” she shouted joyfully.
She dressed faster than ever before, grabbed her backpack, and ran to the kitchen. Breakfast was waiting, but Lala was too impatient to eat much. “Come on, let’s go!” she begged her parents.
When the family finally set out, the world outside seemed brighter than usual. The sky was a perfect shade of blue, and the breeze carried the smell of blooming flowers. Lala held her father’s hand, skipping along the path, her heart bursting with joy.
At the picnic spot, everything was just as she imagined—maybe even better. The blanket was spread under a tall tree, the basket overflowed with food, and Bon was already chasing butterflies. Lala took a deep breath and sighed happily.
“I knew it would be amazing,” she whispered to herself.
Her mother laughed gently, “See, Lala? All that waiting and sleeplessness was worth it.”
The day was filled with laughter, games, delicious bites, and peaceful moments lying in the grass. Lala felt like her dream had come true twice—once in her imagination at night, and once in real life during the day.
As the sun began to set, the family packed up and headed home. Lala, tired at last, leaned against her father’s shoulder. Her eyes were already closing.
Her mother smiled and said, “I think someone will have no trouble sleeping tonight.”
And indeed, the moment Lala reached her bed, she fell into the deepest, happiest sleep, her dreams still filled with sunshine, laughter, and the sweet memory of the picnic she had longed for so eagerly.
