The plane landed softly.
Luna looked out the window. She saw a big, bright city. The sky was warm and orange.
The air outside was thick and sweet.
Singapore.
Luna smiled. She had heard so much about this place. Now, finally, she was here.
She stepped out of the airport. The heat wrapped around her like a blanket. Luna was a cat, so she liked warmth.
She purred quietly.
“This is nice,” she said to no one.
Luna took a taxi into the city. The driver had a kind face and spoke quickly. Luna listened carefully.
She caught some words. Gardens. Marina. Hawker.
“Excuse me,” said Luna. “What is a hawker centre?”
The driver laughed. Not a mean laugh. A warm one.
“It is where we eat,” he said. “Many stalls. Many foods. Very good. You must try.”
Luna wrote the word in her small notebook. Hawker centre.
Her first stop was the Gardens by the Bay.
Luna had seen pictures. But pictures were never enough.
She stood at the entrance and looked up. Giant trees, but not real trees. They were made of steel and light.
Their branches reached high into the dark sky. Hundreds of small lights sparkled on them.
Luna’s eyes went wide.
She walked slowly through the garden. She looked at every flower, every path, every pond. There were tourists with cameras.
There were couples walking hand in hand. Children were running and laughing.
But Luna walked alone. She liked it that way.
She sat on a bench and watched the lights change colour. Blue. Purple. Green.
“Beautiful,” she whispered.
Later, Luna was hungry.
She found a hawker centre not far from the gardens. It was loud and busy and smelled amazing.
Dozens of stalls, each with different food. Noodles. Rice. Grilled meat. Soup. Fried eggs.
Luna did not know where to start.
She walked slowly past each stall. A woman behind one stall called out to her.
“Hey, come! Try my laksa!”
Luna stopped. “What is laksa?”
The woman handed her a small cup to taste. It was a rich soup. Coconut milk and spices and noodles.
It was spicy and creamy and warm all at once.
Luna’s eyes closed for a second.
“This is incredible,” she said quietly.
She sat down and ordered a full bowl. She ate every drop.
The next morning, Luna woke up early.
She wanted to see the old part of the city. She took a short walk to a neighbourhood called Chinatown.
The streets were narrow and colourful. Old shophouses stood in long rows. Their walls were painted in soft colours — yellow, green, blue, pink.
Lanterns hung above the street.
Luna took out her small camera. She took many photos.
A man was sitting outside a small shop, drinking tea. He was very old. He wore a white shirt and had grey hair.
Luna smiled at him. He smiled back.
She pointed at the shophouse. “It is very beautiful,” she said.
He nodded slowly. “My grandfather built it,” he said.
Luna said nothing. She just nodded. Some things do not need more words.
In the afternoon, Luna went to the Marina Bay waterfront.
She sat by the water and looked at the famous hotel. The one with a ship on top.
She had seen it in many photos. In real life, it looked even more strange and wonderful.
A young boy sat near her. He was eating an ice cream cone.
“Are you a cat?” he asked.
Luna looked at him. “Yes,” she said.
“Can cats travel?” he asked.
“This one can,” said Luna.
The boy thought about this. Then he nodded, like it made perfect sense. He went back to his ice cream.
Luna smiled. Children asked the best questions.
That evening, Luna walked back to her hotel.
The city was loud and bright and full of life. Taxis honked. People talked. Music played from somewhere nearby.
But Luna felt calm.
She thought about the giant trees made of light. The creamy laksa. The old man and his grandfather’s house.
The little boy with his ice cream.
Singapore was not a quiet city.
But it had quiet moments inside it.
Luna found them all.
She took off her shoes at the door of her room. She sat on the edge of the bed. She opened her notebook and wrote one sentence.
Singapore: a city that never sleeps, but always makes you feel welcome.
Then she closed the notebook.
She curled up on the soft pillow.
She closed her eyes.
And very slowly, Luna fell asleep.
Goodnight.