Characters: Ami Hinamori, Midori Hinamori & Amu Hinamori
Café Buono!: The Sheep of the Stars (星の羊たち)
Thunder boomed through the night air and lightning lit up the dark and clouded sky at a rapid pace. Nearly in-sync with the thunder and lightning, were the whimpers of a young five-year-old child. Ami Hinamori screamed once again as she hid under her covers, unable to sleep with the scary thunder and lightning.
Shaking, Ami stuttered a cry for the person she trusted the most. In unison with a strike of thunder, Ami screamed in fright, "ONEE-CHAN!" She peeked out of her blanket, checking for her sister, when she caught sight of a hideous silhouette revealed by the lightning. She screamed for her sister again, and hid underneath her blanket, crying.
The door to her room creaked open, and Ami instantly shot out of the bed. Her eyes were closed, she was kneeling on the bed, facing the door, and her hands were together, praying, "Thunder-san, I'm sorry! Please don't kill me!"
"Ami, shhh… don't cry. Mama's here." Midori Hinamori, Ami's mother, had entered the room upon hearing her daughter crying. She now held her daughter, comforting the young girl.
"Huh? Ami? What's going on?" Amu was half asleep and in her pajamas with her teddy bear standing at the door way, hair messed up and her hand rubbing her eye. Midori made the gesture for Amu to stay silent, and motioned for her daughter to come sit beside her.
Ami's words were quiet and trembling as she said to her mother and sister, "Mama, Onee-chan, thunder-san and lightning-san are scary!"
As Amu woke herself up, their mother comforted Ami as she asked, "Poor thing… Do you want a bed-time story to help you go to sleep?"
Ami nodded as she curled up in her mother's arms, "Yes, please."
As thunder boomed again, it was clear that the noise would make any comfort towards Ami ineffective. Midori motioned for Amu to turn on some music. The pink-haired girl took out a portable speaker and connected it to her music player, letting calming piano music play on repeat.
Midori began telling a bed-time story as soon as Ami began to relax, "Beyond the rainclouds, and far into space, there is a world hidden among the stars. There in that dream-land, people just like us lived among never ending fields of grass, where animals like sheep would thrive."
Amu, as soon as she recognized the story, continued, "A 'clan' of people would live with specific animals, but never mingled with other clans that lived with different animals."
"One day, a girl from the sheep clan was gathering water from a nearby stream to give to the sheep and her family to drink. On the other side, a boy from the ox clan was doing the same" Midori said.
Ami asked her mother in curiosity, "Did they fall in love?"
Midori nodded, "Yes, they did, but not at first. It started out as a friendship. It was the season of festivals for all clans, so the sheep-girl and the ox-boy often met, always on accident. They had fun together as they did chores for their family and the animals. When they realized their friendship had turned into love, the girl convinced the guy to cross the river and be with her."
"However," Amu added, "The sheep-clan became suspicious, so the girl had to hide the boy. The boy couldn't go back with his own clan, because they worried what might happen if he suddenly returned after being away for so long."
Midori continued the story and said, "Eventually, while the boy was fetching water for the girl, the ox-clan found him, and discovered what was going on. They were mad, but didn't punish the boy. Instead, they decided to move away. When they moved away, the girl only found out when the sheep-"
Ami's mother was interrupted in her storytelling when a loud snort was heard. Midori was startled and nearly jumped, before Amu tugged on her sleeve and pointed down at Ami.
The little girl was asleep as the rain fell and music played. Midori and Amu tucked Ami in and quietly left the room as Ami dreamed of the sheep in the story….