🌙 Henrietta’s Dream – A Musical Tale
This gentle tune was composed for a children’s story about Lucy, a young girl who loves exploring her garden at dusk—and her unlikely best friend, Henrietta the hedgehog.
By day, they play hide and seek and roll around the garden with a ball. But as autumn arrives, Henrietta prepares to hibernate, and Lucy offers a cosy jumper-lined space in the soundbox of her harp.
Each evening, Lucy plays a special lullaby to help Henrietta sleep. But when Lucy has an accident and can no longer play, Henrietta wakes and finds a way to play the harp herself—first with her feet, then her nose! Together, they discover that music can still be shared, even when everything changes.
Henrietta’s Dream is a celebration of resilience, creativity, and friendship—reminding us that there is always a way to make music, especially when we work together.
You can watch me presenting a version below and download your own version of the music >>HERE<<
🌙 Henrietta’s Dream – The Story – Two Versions:
Henrietta’s Dream V1
A musical story by Shelley Fairplay
There was a little girl, and the little girl’s name was Lucy. She lived in a house right by a little stream—at the bottom of her garden was a lovely stream, with beautiful trees and all sorts of gorgeous things to investigate. Lucy spent hours exploring her garden, especially at dusk, when the light changed and everything looked just a little bit magical.
Now, during these twilight adventures, Lucy made a very special friend. Not another little girl—no. She made friends with a hedgehog. A hedgehog called Henrietta.
Henrietta and Lucy loved exploring the garden together. Henrietta was mostly hunting for slugs and snails (as hedgehogs do), but they also played games—like rolling into one another like little balls and playing hide and seek. Lucy had to be careful which ball she brought out though, because of Henrietta’s spikes! Still, they had great fun, snuffling and giggling their way around the garden.
Of course, hedgehogs are nocturnal, and in the winter, they hibernate. When winter came, Henrietta couldn’t find a warm, dry place to sleep. The weather was awful, and everything was damp and soggy. Luckily, Lucy had an idea.
Now Lucy played the harp, and she knew that harps are hollow inside, with little holes at the back. So she took her cosiest, snuggliest jumper (one she had outgrown), stuffed it into the bottom of the harp, and invited Henrietta to hibernate there.
Lucy was a little sad—she knew she wouldn’t see Henrietta until spring. But she promised to help her sleep soundly, and so she played her a special lullaby—her very own piece: Henrietta’s Dream.
That night, Henrietta fell asleep in the warm hollow of the harp, and every night at dusk, Lucy kept her promise. She played Henrietta’s Dream again and again, so Henrietta could sleep soundly, wrapped in dreams of their joyful garden games.
Then one day, Lucy was climbing her favourite tree. It was tall—very tall—and she fell. She hurt her arm badly and had to go to hospital. Her arm was put in a sling. And now, she couldn’t play the harp.
That night, Lucy cried herself to sleep. And Henrietta, deep in hibernation, stirred. Something was wrong. She crept out from the harp and saw Lucy fast asleep, still crying in her dreams.
Henrietta tried everything to wake her. She snuffled in Lucy’s ear, tiptoed across her head, but nothing worked. She climbed back onto the harp and accidentally made a sound. Curious, she began jumping up and down, trying to wake Lucy with vibrations. Still nothing.
So Henrietta tried rubbing the strings with her prickles. Then, she tried her paws—no luck. Finally, she used her long nose… and that made a sound. A real sound. She wiggled and nudged and pressed until the music grew louder and louder—and eventually, Lucy woke up.
Henrietta listened as Lucy tearfully explained about her fall and how she couldn’t play the harp anymore. But then Lucy said, “I can still play with one hand. My right arm is okay.”
Henrietta perked up. “And I can use my nose! Maybe… we could play together?”
So that night, Lucy and Henrietta stayed up and experimented. Lucy explained the colours of the strings, where the notes lived, and together they found ways to make music. They practised Henrietta’s Dream, and once they had it, they moved on—making up songs about dinosaurs, dancing, aliens, and more. They laughed and played until the sun came up.
They learned that it didn’t matter how you achieved your dream—only that you found a way. And that with a little help from your friends, you can do anything.
Now, every night in spring and summer, once Henrietta is out of hibernation, Lucy and Henrietta play together. They chase each other in the garden, play hide and seek, and at dusk, they perform. People from all over the village come to the stream at the bottom of the garden to listen.
Sometimes they dance. Sometimes they laugh. Sometimes they sing.
And if you’re ever out walking at dusk and you hear harp music drifting through the air—you never know. It might be Lucy and Henrietta, playing together. Or maybe it’s just Lucy, now that her arm is healed, playing Henrietta’s Dream so Henrietta can sleep soundly once more.
And me?
You might even find me…
Down at the stream.
Henrietta’s Dream V2
There was a little girl called Lucy who lived in a house right by a little stream. At the bottom of her garden was this stream, surrounded by beautiful trees and so many gorgeous things to explore. Lucy spent hours outside every day, happily investigating every nook and cranny.
Her favourite time was dusk—just as the light began to fade and everything started to look and sound a little bit different.
Now, during these magical dusk adventures, Lucy made a very special friend. Not another little girl, no—but a hedgehog! A hedgehog called Henrietta.
Henrietta and Lucy loved exploring the garden together. Henrietta, of course, was mostly hunting for slugs and snails and all the things hedgehogs love to eat, but they also played all sorts of games. They played with a ball—well, they rolled into each other really. Lucy had to be careful which wool ball she brought outside, of course, because of Henrietta’s spikes!
They also played hide and seek. Lucy would call out, “Ready or not, here I come!” and hear little snuffles and footsteps as Henrietta came searching. Their friendship was full of laughter and imagination.
Now, as I’m sure you know, hedgehogs are nocturnal and hibernate in the winter. So when the cold weather came, Henrietta began searching for a warm, dry place to hibernate—but everything was damp and soggy.
Luckily, Lucy had an idea. “Why don’t you come inside and hibernate in my harp?” she said. Did you know harps are hollow, with holes in the back?
Lucy placed her snuggliest old jumper inside the harp’s soundbox, and Henrietta curled up inside. Lucy was a little sad—she knew she wouldn’t see Henrietta until spring—but she wanted her friend to be safe.
So she promised to play her a lullaby each night at dusk—a lullaby just for Henrietta.
And she did.
Every night, Lucy played her lullaby, and Henrietta, snug inside the harp, slept peacefully, dreaming.
But one day, Lucy was climbing her favourite tree… and she fell. She hurt her arm badly and had to wear a sling. That night, for the first time, Lucy couldn’t play the harp. She went to bed and cried herself to sleep.
Henrietta, still dreaming, heard Lucy’s sadness. She woke up—waking up in winter isn’t good for hedgehogs—but she knew her friend needed her. She tried to wake Lucy by snuffling in her ear, walking on her head… nothing worked.
Then Henrietta returned to the harp. Her little feet made sounds on the strings. She tried jumping, she tried rubbing with her prickles, and then—she tried playing with her nose!
And wouldn’t you know—it worked. She made a sound loud enough that Lucy woke up!
They were so happy to see each other. Lucy explained what had happened, how she couldn’t play with both hands. But then she realised—her right hand still worked. And Henrietta had her nose.
That night, they played together—Henrietta using her nose, Lucy using her hand. Lucy taught Henrietta about the notes, the colours of the strings, and how to find her way around the harp. Together, they made music.
And once they’d mastered Henrietta’s Dream, they explored more stories—about dinosaurs, about aliens, about dancing and dreams. They laughed and played music all night.
They realised it didn’t matter how you play music—what matters is finding a way. And that with love, support, and a little imagination, anything is possible.
And now, every spring and summer evening, Lucy and Henrietta can be found playing music together in the garden—sometimes for themselves, sometimes for an audience that gathers by the stream.
If you’re ever out walking at dusk and hear gentle harp music on the breeze… it might just be them.
Lucy’s arm is better now—but the promise of that lullaby and the magic of Henrietta’s Dream will always remain.