The Midnight Bakery

Every night at exactly midnight, a tiny bakery appeared on the corner of Maple Street. It was there for just one hour, then vanished like morning mist.

The baker was an old woman named Nana Moonwhisk. She had silver hair like starlight and kind eyes that twinkled.

Young Emma discovered the bakery one night when she couldn't sleep. She followed the smell of cinnamon and sugar to find a glowing shop where none had been before.

"Welcome, little one," said Nana Moonwhisk. "What kind of dream would you like tonight?"

"Dreams?" asked Emma.

"Of course! Each of my treats brings a different dream." She gestured to the display case.

There were Starlight Cookies that gave you dreams of flying through space. Cloud Cupcakes that let you bounce on fluffy clouds. Adventure Brownies for dreams of treasure hunting. And Cuddle Cakes for dreams of warm hugs.

"I've been having scary dreams," admitted Emma. "I don't want to sleep."

Nana Moonwhisk nodded kindly. From behind the counter, she brought out something special—a small muffin that glowed with soft golden light.

"This is a Brave Heart Muffin," she said. "It doesn't stop scary things from appearing in your dreams. Instead, it helps YOU become brave enough to face them."

Emma took a tiny bite. It tasted like honey and courage and her grandmother's hugs all at once.

That night, when the shadow monster appeared in her dream, Emma didn't run. She stood tall and said, "You're just a shadow. You can't hurt me."

The monster shrunk smaller and smaller until it became a shy little shadow puppy that wanted to play.

Emma visited the Midnight Bakery every week after that. Sometimes she got flying dreams, sometimes adventure dreams. But she always remembered: the bravery was never in the muffin. It was inside her all along.

The End