It’s midnight on the farm, everyone is snoring, and Shirley the sheep is wide awake.
About this story
Shirley can’t sleep, so Oliver the Owl suggests counting humans. She imagines a little fence, and the humans start jumping: a man with a briefcase, a jogger looking at her watch, a chef with a pizza. Not one of them makes it over properly.
Ages: 3–7 · Reading time: about 2 minutes
Moral: A good laugh can be the best way to fall asleep.
Shirley was a very fluffy sheep with very bright eyes. It was midnight, and the whole farm was snoring, but Shirley’s brain was wide awake.
“Why is my wool so itchy? Why is the grass so green even in the dark?” she wondered.
Oliver the Owl looked down from his tree. “Shirley, just count humans! That’s how animals fall asleep,” he hooted. Shirley closed her eyes and began to imagine a small wooden fence.
Human Number One appeared. He was wearing a business suit and carrying a briefcase. He tried to jump the fence, but his shoe got caught. Oof! He landed face-first in the imaginary grass.
The Clumsy Parade of Humans
“One…” Shirley sighed. Then came Human Number Two. She was a jogger, but she was too busy looking at her watch to see the fence. Bonk! She bounced right off the wood.
The parade became even more hilarious when Human Number Three showed up. He was a chef carrying a giant pizza. He tried to slide under the fence, but he got stuck like a turtle in its shell. “Help! My pepperoni is escaping!” he yelled.
Shirley started to giggle. It was hard to sleep when the humans in her head were so uncoordinated. “Humans are terrible at jumping fences!” she realized. By the time Human Number Ten tried to jump while taking a selfie, Shirley was laughing so hard her wool was shaking.
___Eventually, the laughter made Shirley’s body feel heavy and relaxed. She imagined all the humans sitting down for a picnic by the fence instead of jumping. It was quiet. It was peaceful. Finally, her eyes began to droop.
She fell asleep dreaming of a world where sheep jump fences and humans just stay home and eat pizza. She knew that a good laugh is the best pillow.
