Bobo the Dormouse
Deep in the Great Sleep Forest lives a tiny animal that sleeps almost all the time — but when it is awake, it is the happiest friend in the world!
Firlefanz woke up and heard something strange. Very quietly, almost inaudibly, a tiny snore drifted through the open window. "What was that?" he wondered, rubbing his eyes. Somewhere out there, someone was still sleeping — and it sounded very, very cozy.
In the kitchen, Firlefanz had bread with honey for breakfast and drank a warm chamomile tea. He had heard of a little animal that lived deep in the Great Sleep Forest: Bobo the Dormouse. Bobo supposedly slept three hundred days a year — and when he was awake, he was the happiest friend in the world.
Firlefanz ran to Papalapapp. He was sitting on the porch, drinking his morning coffee. "Papalapapp, do you know Bobo the Dormouse?" Papalapapp smiled. "Bobo! Of course! A sweet little guy when he’s not sleeping. He lives in the Great Sleep Forest, far, far away." He stood up. "I’ll come with you!"
Firlefanz packed everything: the warm coat, the sturdy boots, the walking stick, and the hat with the red feather. Papalapapp took his backpack and packed nuts, berries, and two soft blankets. "For Bobo," he said, winking.
They set off. Over seven seas, seven deserts, seven mountains, seven rivers, and seven dense forests. They went deeper and deeper until the trees became huge and the leafy canopy scattered sunlight into a thousand golden dots. The air smelled of moss, berries, and resin.
Then they stood before the Great Sleep Forest. Everything was quiet here. The leaves hardly rustled, and even the birds sang very softly. Between the roots of an ancient oak, Firlefanz discovered a tiny house. The curtains were drawn. In front of it stood a small sign: "Please be quiet! Sleep time!"
Firlefanz knocked very gently. Once. Twice. Three times. Then a curtain moved. Out came a tiny, fluffy creature with big button eyes and a bushy tail — a bit ruffled from sleeping, but with an immediate smile. "Oh! Visitors! I am Bobo!" it squeaked.
Bobo showed them everything. He had a cozy bed made of moss and leaves, a cupboard full of nuts, and a little lamp that glowed softly like a firefly. "I mostly sleep," Bobo confessed, "but when I’m awake, I collect nuts, dance under the trees, and watch the stars appear."
They sat together under the big oak. Bobo danced in little circles and taught Firlefanz how to paint patterns in the soft moss. Then they played nut tossing until the sun was lower and Bobo's eyes began to droop again.
"I have to sleep again soon," yawned Bobo, "but today was the best wake day in a long time." He rummaged in his cupboard and pulled out two nuts. "For you. If you hold them to your ear, you can hear the whispering of the Sleep Forest — and then sleep will come all by itself."
Firlefanz and Papalapapp said goodbye to Bobo with a big hug. "Come back when you’re tired," whispered Bobo and yawned one last time. Then he disappeared into his little house and pulled the curtains shut. Soon, a satisfied, quiet snore could be heard from inside.
On the long way home, Firlefanz held his nut to his ear. A soft rustling — like wind through leaves, like gentle humming, like a lullaby. When his legs grew too tired, Papalapapp lifted him onto his back. "Thank you, Papalapapp," murmured Firlefanz. And so he swayed homeward, eyes half-closed, the nut tightly in his fist — until he fell asleep, with a smile, gentle as a dormouse.