• Once there was a puppy with brown eyes named Maggie. Maggie loved to run and jump and chase the cat all day long! Sometimes she would roll around in the grass, or sneak up on Mommy from behind, letting out a loud YIP! when she was right behind her. Mommy always jumped up and screamed, "AAAH!", then she would turn around and hug Maggie while she laughed. "You scared me, little one!" she would say as she hugged Maggie. Maggie would smile and lick Mommy's nose.

    One night, Maggie had too much energy to sleep. When the sun went down, Mommy and Daddy gave Maggie a drink, took her outside to go potty, and tucked her in. Mommy gave her a kiss, and Daddy gave her a kiss, and the cat watched from across the room. Maggie was never sleepy when the sun went down, and she tried to get back up and play. Daddy turned off the lights while Mommy laid Maggie back down, telling her "Go to sleep, little one." Then they walked out of the room veeeeery quietly, left the door open JUST A CRACK, and tip-toed back to the other room.

    And Maggie got up.

    She ran and ran, until she ran right into the door! CRASH! Then thump-thump-thump as Mommy and Daddy came back to put Maggie to bed again. "Go to sleep, little one," Mommy said. But Maggie would not listen. She wriggled around while Daddy tried to lay her down, flipping her tail and trying to stand back up. The cat stared at her from across the room, her own tail swishing. Maggie pretended to go to sleep, and Mommy and Daddy sighed. Then they walked out of the room veeeeery quietly, left the door open JUST A CRACK, and tip-toed back to the other room.

    Maggie got back up.

    She jumped and jumped on her bed until she heard a loud CRACK! Then thump-thump-thump as Mommy and Daddy came back to put Maggie to bed again. When they saw the broken bed, Daddy shook his head and Mommy sighed. "Maggie, GO TO SLEEP!" Mommy said, sounding tired herself. But Maggie still was not tired! The cat hopped down off the chair and came over to the bed. "Let me talk to her," the cat said. "I will make her understand." Then Mommy and Daddy nodded and walked out of the room, and Maggie looked like she wanted to jump around again.

    "Maggie," the cat said when Mommy and Daddy were gone. "Why don't you want to sleep?"

    "Because I'm not sleepy!" said Maggie, her back end still wiggling. "I want to run and jump and play! Will you play with me, Cat?"

    The cat shook her head and sat down on Maggie's bed, pulling the puppy close to her. "Tomorrow I will play with you, Maggie. We will run together, all over the house, and jump from one end of the yard to the other. We will roll around in the grass together, and we will BOTH sneak up on Mommy and scare her. Tomorrow we will build forts, pretend to be kings, and play in the water. We will be pirates, space-men, firemen, and even cowboys. Tomorrow we will do all these things, but tonight is for sleeping, and you need your sleep."

    And as the cat looked down at Maggie, she saw that the little puppy with the brown eyes was sound asleep, already dreaming of the adventures she would have tomorrow.