Sara was so hungry and tired, she drifted off to sleep quickly.
She did not know how long she slept.
She also did not know what woke her up in the middle of the night.
It had been a noise. The skylight had made a small click as it closed.
Now a man dressed in white crouched on the roof and secretly watched Sara.
At first when Sara woke up, she did not open her eyes.
She felt too sleepy. Strangely enough, she also felt warm and comfortable.
"I must be dreaming," she murmured. "This is such a nice dream.
I'll keep my eyes closed. I don't want to wake up."
Sara thought that warm blankets were heaped upon her bed.
She reached out her hand and touched a down quilt.
Then she heard a fire crackling.
"Oh, this is so lovely." She squeezed her eyes tighter.
"I must make this dream last."
But she kept waking up.
Sara finally opened her eyes and looked around her room.
To her astonishment she saw a real fire glowing in the fireplace.
A brass kettle was bubbling and hissing.
There was a thick red rug on the floor.
In front of the fire stood a small table and chair.
Upon the table were several covered dishes and a teapot.
A bright lamp with a pink shade gave the room a rosy glow.
Sara's bed was covered with new blankets.
At the foot of the bed were a red silk robe, a pair of slippers, and some books.
It looked to Sara like a fairyland.
"This can't be real!" said Sara.
"I'm getting out of bed now, but I must still be dreaming.
Yet everything looks real!"
She stepped near the blazing fire and spread out her hands.
"It's hot! A fire in a dream wouldn't be hot!"
Sara dashed around the room, touching the table, the dishes, the rug.
She picked up the red robe and held it to her cheek.
"It's warm! It's soft!" She almost sobbed. "It's all real. It must be!"
She put on the robe and stepped into the slippers.
"They're real too! I am not—I am not dreaming!"
Sara almost staggered to the books.
She opened the one on top of the pile and found a message:
To the little girl in the attic. From a friend.
She put her face down on the page and burst into tears.
"I don't know who it is, but somebody cares about me. I have a friend."
Sara took her candle and slipped into Becky's room.
She stood quietly by Becky's bed.
"Becky! Becky! Wake up!" she whispered as loudly as she dared.
Startled out of sleep, Becky sat upright.
Her face was still smudged with tears.
She was frightened until she realized Sara had awoken her.
Dressed in a beautiful red robe and holding a candle, Sara looked like a princess.
"Come with me," said Sara. "Becky, you must come at once."
Becky was still too dazed to speak.
She simply got up and followed Sara, her mouth and eyes wide open.
When they reached Sara's room, Sara pulled Becky into the warm, glowing room.
Becky could not believe her eyes.
She blinked and asked, "Is it real, miss?"
Sara nodded. "It's real!" she said.
"I've touched everything, and it's all as real as we are.
Something magical has happened while we slept."
For the rest of the night, the two girls sat by the fire and enjoyed a hot, tasty meal.
The covered dishes contained delicious soup.
There were also sandwiches, muffins, and tea for both of them.
Becky sipped the tea with pleasure.
It was so delicious, it was not necessary to pretend it was anything but tea!
"I don't know anyone who could have done this for me," Sara murmured.
"Whoever it is, Becky, I have a friend."
"Do you think it could all disappear?" asked Becky.
"Maybe we should eat quickly." She crammed a sandwich into her mouth.
"No, it won't disappear," Sara replied. "Take your time."
The girls slowly ate their meal while they talked.
Soon they felt warm, happy, and sleepy.
When it was time to go back to bed, Sara realized that she had more than enough blankets.
"Here, Becky. Take some blankets for your bed," she said.
"Oh, thank you, miss!" Becky said.
Becky got ready to go.
At the door she turned for one last look at the room.
"It's so beautiful!" she said.
"If it all disappears tomorrow, I don't want to forget any of it."