Maki’s Prayer
It was the middle of the night, yet Maki Koala had woken up, and couldn't get back to sleep. She went to the window of her tree house, and looked over to the west towards Eucalyptus Grove, soon to be her new home, illuminated by the light of the full moon.
'I guess they're still celebrating over in Koalatown,' she thought to herself.
Maki never would have considered going to that party, for she knew of the undesirable elements that lived in that grove, and her father certainly didn't want his beloved daughter to get into any kind of compromising, or even perilous, situation.
Nevertheless, she was now thinking about the happy couples over there, dancing the night away, and even sneaking in a little kiss here and there. She had never been in love before, yet sometimes dreamed about meeting her soul mate, someone who would capture her heart, and love her forever.
She couldn't imagine who that would be, but about a year before her mother died in the wet tail epidemic, she had once told Maki that she would meet him one day; that somewhere out there, he was no doubt waiting to meet her, too, and that fate would surely bring him to her, probably when she least expected it.
Maybe that was the problem: somewhere in the back of her mind, she was always expecting it! Looking up to the Moon, she thought she saw a face on it, and a couple of furry ears on top.
'The Koala Moon understands me,' she said under her breath, 'and I know she hears me, too. Koala Moon, please make sure that the love of my life is alive and well, and help us find each other some day, preferably while I'm still young,' she added. 'Oh, and thank you kindly for listening to me!'
Her little prayer had comforted her, and made her feel warm inside. Walking back to her bed in a corner of her tree house – for her father, of course, had built one for the family long ago – she crawled under the blanket, resting her head on her little pillow, and was soon fast asleep.