Bodlinka and the Leaf Blanket

At the edge of the forest, under an old hazel bush, lives a little hedgehog called Bodlinka. It is autumn, and the forest smells of mushrooms and damp moss.

All day long Bodlinka gathers leaves. Yellow ones from the birch, red ones from the maple and brown ones from the oak. He lays them under the bush, one leaf next to another, until they become a soft, rustling blanket. Just right for the winter.

As the sun slips behind the hill, a tiny voice comes from the grass. “Brrr, it’s so cold,” sighs Pipa the little mouse. Her paws are chilly, and her tail is curled up like a snail’s shell.

Bodlinka looks at his blanket. It is big. It is warm. And it is his.

He thinks for a little while. Then he lifts the corner of the blanket and says, “Come in, Pipa. There’s room for both of us.”

The little mouse slips inside. The leaves rustle softly, and then everything is quiet. Bodlinka notices something interesting: under the blanket, two are even warmer than one.

On a branch above them sits Lu the owl. Her eyes are closed, but she hears everything. “Good night, Bodlinka. Good night, Pipa,” she whispers into the dark.

Wind-down at the end

And now it’s your turn to snuggle down, just like Bodlinka under his blanket. Lie comfortably and close your eyes.

Breathe in through your nose, slowly, like a hedgehog sniffing the leaves. And breathe out through your mouth, long and slow, like the wind blowing through the leaves. Whoooo.

Once more. Breathe in… and a long breath out.

Your arms are heavy. Heavy and warm, as if a leaf blanket were lying on them. Your legs are heavy. Heavy and warm.

Your head is heavy too, resting softly on your pillow. Bodlinka and Pipa are already asleep. Lu the owl is watching over the forest.

Good night.