Shawnie Griff: The Boy Who Couldn't Sleep

Once upon a time, there was a little boy named Shawnie Griff who could not sleep at night. He would close his eyes, and the thoughts would flood in like a rushing river. Worrying about tomorrow, remembering things that had happened, and imagining all sorts of scary things that could happen kept him awake night after night.

Shawnie's parents were worried about him. They tried all sorts of things to help him sleep. They gave him a warm bath, read him a bedtime story, and even put a lavender pillow mist in his room. But nothing seemed to work. Shawnie would still wake up in the middle of the night, his mind racing.

One night, Shawnie was lying in bed, wide awake, when he heard a strange noise. It was a soft scratching sound, like someone was trying to sneak into his room. Shawnie's heart started to race. He pulled the covers up over his head and tried to ignore it. But the scratching kept getting louder. Finally, Shawnie couldn't take it anymore. He threw off the covers and jumped out of bed.

Shawnie opened the door to his room and peered out into the hallway. The scratching sound was coming from the end of the hallway, near the bathroom. Shawnie took a deep breath and started walking towards the bathroom.

As he got closer, the scratching sound got louder. Shawnie could see something moving in the darkness. He stopped and listened. The scratching stopped too. For a moment, everything was still. Then, Shawnie heard a tiny meow.

Shawnie relaxed. He realized that the scratching sound was coming from a small kitten. The kitten was sitting in the middle of the hallway, its tail twitching. Shawnie smiled. He picked up the kitten and carried it back to his room.

Shawnie tucked the kitten into bed with him and closed his eyes. Almost as soon as his head hit the pillow, he fell fast asleep.

From that night on, Shawnie never had trouble falling asleep again. He knew that the kitten, which he named Shadow, would always be there to protect him from the monsters under the bed and the scary thoughts that kept him awake.

Shawnie and Shadow became the best of friends. They played together every day, and they slept together every night. Shawnie never had trouble falling asleep again, and he always felt safe and loved with Shadow by his side.

• Shawnie Griff was a brave boy.
• Shawnie Griff was a loving boy.
• Shawnie Griff was a happy boy.

And he always had his best friend, Shadow, by his side.