The sky was almost dark.
The little rooster and the little duck went out to play.
The rooster had a sharp little beak.
The duck had a flat little beak.
The rooster wore bright feathers.
Red and gold and white.
The duck wore grey feathers.
Soft and plain.
The rooster walked on the grass.
He scratched the dirt and found a small worm.
It was a long worm.
It was a fat worm.
He was proud of it.
The duck swam in the water.
He paddled and looked for a small fish.
He paddled to the left.
He paddled to the right.
No fish came.
The duck came out of the pond.
He shook the water off his back.
He said, “I did not find one fish.”
The rooster said, “I have a small worm.”
The rooster said, “Let us share it.”
The duck said, “Thank you.”
Both of them ate.
The rooster ate half.
The duck ate half.
They ate until they were full.
Both were happy.
The sky grew darker.
The sun went down behind the hill.
The clouds turned a soft red.
The wind felt a little cool.
The fireflies were not out yet.
The stars were not out yet.
The rooster said, “Let us go home.”
The duck said, “Yes.”
On the way home there was a small river.
The water ran fast.
The rooster could not cross.
He stood at the edge and looked at the water.
He looked at his own feet.
He looked at the middle of the river.
The duck said, “Climb on my back.”
The rooster climbed up.
He held on with his little claws.
The duck carried him and swam slowly.
The water was a little cold.
The rooster pulled in his feet.
He was not scared at all.
He looked at the moon in the water.
It looked back at him.
In the middle of the river, the moon came out.
The moon fell into the water.
A round, bright piece.
The water moved, and the moon rocked.
The rooster said, “There is a moon in the water too.”
The duck said, “Let us carry it across.”
They both laughed.
The moon rocked again.
The river laughed too.
The reeds laughed too.
They reached the other side.
The duck shook his feathers.
The rooster shook his wings.
They walked home together.
They passed the rice field.
They passed the bamboo.
They passed a big stone.
Up in the sky, the moon walked too.
In the grass, little lights came on.
One small lamp.
Then another.
The little lights blinked.
They blinked like stars.
The duck blinked back.
The rooster said, “They are lighting our way home.”
The duck said, “Then let us walk faster.”
In China, when night comes, chickens go up to the roost.
In China, when night comes, ducks go into their pen.
When the sky is dark, the chicken goes up to the roost.
When the sky is dark, the duck goes into the pen.
That is how they sleep.
It is a very old habit.
The rooster had a nest high in a tree.
The duck had a nest under the roof.
The two nests were not far apart.
The rooster went into his nest.
He tucked his head under his wing.
The duck went into his nest.
He laid his head on his wing.
The mother hen opened her wings.
The mother duck opened her wings.
Each one covered a small head.
One wing for the rooster.
One wing for the duck.
The wind blew softly.
The leaves whispered.
The bamboo by the water did not move.
The field was very still.
The moon walked slowly across the sky.
The river ran quietly in the night.
One by one, the village lamps went out.
The rooster closed his eyes.
The duck closed his eyes.
Their nests were warm.
The rooster dreamed of a worm.
The duck dreamed of a fish.
Then they dreamed of the moon.
Nobody had to be afraid tonight.
The village was quiet.
The night was kind.
That is the old story of the little rooster and the little duck.
It is a gentle Chinese folktale.
It is also a Chinese fairy tale, and one of the oldest Chinese bedtime stories for children.
Now it is time to close your eyes.
Good night, little rooster.
Good night, little duck.
This is a very old Chinese bedtime story. It is not long, and it is very gentle. Best read slowly, with the lights low.
