Once upon a time there was a little boy. He didn't like to go to bed. It came time to say good night and go upstairs. He wanted to stay where the fire crackled in the fireplace. He wanted to be where the lamp was lit. He wanted to stay with @Mommy and @Daddy and @Teddy. He wanted to look at picture books. He wanted to play games.
"I don't want to go to bed," he said. He said it very loudly. "I don't like my bed," he added. He added it very loudly. "I wish I didn't have a bed," he said. He said that part very loudly.
Upstairs in the little boy's bedroom, the little white bed heard. It was waiting for the boy. It was all warm and cozy. Its cover was tucked back to welcome him. Its pillow was full of dreams. It was going to tell the boy stories when he fell asleep.
When the little boy said what he did, the little white bed felt very sad. It decided to go away. The little white bed rolled out of its corner. It rolled out of the little boy's room and down the hall. It rolled along until it came to the front stairs. Then the little white bed started down the stairs. Bump, bump, bump. Down the stairs it went.
It rolled across the front hall. It squeaked and creaked. And it went out of the front door. When the boy went into his room, the little white bed was gone, gone, gone!
The little boy looked at his mother. His mother looked very sad.
The little boy looked at his father. His father looked sad, too.
"It's too bad, son," they said. "You will have no little white bed to sleep in tonight."
But the little boy was happy. He didn't want to go to sleep. He didn't want his bed.
He looked at picture books. He played with Teddy. He wanted to play with Daddy. But Daddy yawned and rose from his big, comfortable chair. He said, "Good night, son. It is late and we want to go to sleep. We're going to put out the light." And Daddy and Mommy went upstairs to their bed. They left the little boy next to the fire.
After they had gone, the little boy began to feel very sleepy. But he didn't have a bed. He didn't know what to do.
The little boy's head began to nod. He put it down on the rug by the fire. It was warm there on the rug. Soon he was fast asleep. He slept for a long time. All of a sudden he woke up.
The fire had died down and gone out. Now it was cold. His arms and legs were stiff and chilly. He wanted a pillow for his head. But there was no bed in which to curl up. There was no warm blanket and no soft mattress. There was no place to be snug and happy. The little white bed had run away. It had taken everything with it.
The little boy got up from the rug. He walked slowly upstairs to his room. It was dark. There was a big, empty place where his bed had been. The only place to sleep was on the floor. He was very unhappy.
He said, "Oh, I wish I didn't say what I did. I wish my little white bed had not run away. I wish it would come back right now. I want to put my head on its pillow and go to sleep. I'd be nice and warm. I want my little white bed!"
He put on his pajamas. He took a rug and tried to go to sleep on the floor. But he kept jumping up. He kept looking out the window. He wanted to see if his little white bed was out in the street. He wanted to tell it he was sorry. If it heard, it might come back.
The night went very slowly. Then, he thought he heard a noise at the front door. His heart went faster. He listened. The front door opened. In came the little white bed. It rolled across the front hall. It came up the hall stairs. Bump, bump, bump!
The little boy heard! Bump, bump, bump. The little white bed came up the stairs. It rolled back into the little boy's room. It went right into the corner where it had always stood. It rolled back its nice warm blanket for the little boy. Soon the boy's head was on the soft pillow. He was warm and happy. It wasn't long before he went fast asleep. He had nice dreams. They were the stories that the little white bed's pillow had for him. "I love you," the boy told the bed. The bed smiled. It loved the boy, too.
After this, the little boy always went to bed. He kissed Mommy and Daddy good night. He grabbed Teddy and took him upstairs. They went up to the little white bed as fast as they could go. They were warm and happy. They had wonderful dreams.
