The Owl Who Kept the Night Quiet

At the edge of the village stood an old banyan tree, and in the banyan tree lived an owl named Ullu Dada. Every night Ullu Dada had one job. He kept the night quiet, so that the children could sleep.

When the moon rose, he flew out on his soft wings.

First he heard the gate of the potter's house. Creak, creak, it went in the wind. Ullu Dada landed on the gatepost. "Hush now," he said. "The children are sleeping." The gate swung once more and then stood still.

Next he heard the frogs in the pond. Tarr, tarr, tarr. Ullu Dada sat on a reed. "Hush now. Sing a little softer. The children are sleeping." The frogs looked at each other. They sang so softly that it sounded like someone humming far away.

Then he heard the puppy outside the school. The puppy was barking at the moon. "Hush now," said Ullu Dada. "The moon is not going anywhere. You can talk to it tomorrow." The puppy yawned, turned around twice and lay down.

He heard a tap dripping in the square. Tup, tup, tup. He could not turn the tap, so he pushed a fallen leaf under it with his foot. Now the drops landed without a sound.

Ullu Dada flew over the rooftops one last time. He looked in through the windows. In every house a child lay sleeping, with one arm thrown out, or one foot out of the blanket.

All but one. In the last house a small girl was still awake, listening.

Ullu Dada sat on her window sill. He did not say "hush". He only blinked at her, slowly, once, twice. And the third time he blinked, her eyes closed with his.

Then the owl flew home, and the whole night was quiet.