Dreamland

DREAMLAND

“There you go, all tucked in.”

“My pillow needs scrunched up, Daddy.”

“Is that better?”

“My covers are untucked, Daddy.”

“If you quit squirming around, you won’t get untucked. Now close your eyes and go to sleep.”

“But I’m not sleepy.”

“It’s way past your bedtime; you should be sleepy. If you close your eyes, you’ll be off to Dreamland in no time.”

“Where’s Dreamland?”

“Dreamland is a magical place where Unicorns romp, bunnies hop, and Fairies play.”

“Have you ever been to Dreamland?”

“Oh, yes, many times when I was your age. But in my Dreamland, there were Dragons and Wizards. And I was a brave knight with a magic sword.”

“Was there a Princess?”

“There is always a Princess.”

“Tell me about when you were in Dreamland.”

“Another night. It’s getting late.”

“Please!”

“OK, but then you have to go to sleep.”

“I promise.”

“I was Sir Edmond.”

“But your name’s not Edmond.”

“In Dreamland, you can be whoever you want to be. Sir Edmond was the bravest knight in the whole kingdom. One day an evil Wizard---”

“What was his name?”

“Who?”

“The Wizard.”

“I don’t know. He was just an evil Wizard.”

“He has to have a name. What was it?”

“It was, I don’t know, Blodwyn. As I said, Blodwyn kidnapped the Princess and took her to his castle.”

“What was her name?”

“Princess Abba Doodle. You see, the Wizard loved the Princess and wanted her to be his wife, but she didn’t love him. She loved another.”

“Who did she love, Daddy?”

“She loved the brave knight Sir Edmond.”

“A Princess loved you, Daddy?”

“Only in Dreamland. King Daddy Doodle was very upset about what happened to his daughter, so he called all his knights together and sent them on a quest to save the Princess.”

“How many did the king have?”

“He had five brave knights, and before you ask, their names were: Sir Anthony, Sir William, Sir Barkley, Sir Darwin, and Sir Edmond.

“Sir Anthony was the first to go to the Dark Castle. He shouted for Blodwyn to come out and face him in combat, but the Wizard was too wise for that. He lowered the draw bridge and told Sir Anthony to come and get him. Sir Anthony was brave and could not ignore a challenge, so he got off his horse and stepped onto the draw bridge.”

“What was its name?”

“The horse? It was Rover.”

“That’s a dumb name for a horse.”

“What would you name it?”

“Charlie.”

“Why Charlie?”

“I like Charlie.”

“Anyway, Sir Anthony tripped over Charlie’s reigns, fell in the moat, and drowned.”

“Sir Anthony must have been pretty clumsy.”

“His nickname was Stumblefoot.”

“That’s funny.”

“The next to try was Sir William. His nickname was Smartypants. Smartypants devised a way to catapult himself over the moat and the castle wall. But his calculations were off; he hit the parapet and fell into the moat.”

“You had funny dreams, Daddy.”

“Yeah, I guess I did. Do you want a drink of water tucked in or something?”

“No, Daddy!”

“I just thought I’d ask.”

“Who tried next? Was it Sir Edmond?”

“No, it was Sir Barkley. The knights called him Big-Headed Barkley. Waving his sword over his head, Sir Barkley charged over the draw bridge and into the courtyard of Blodwyn’s castle. The Wizard was waiting and rained magic fireballs down on Barkley. Since a sword is no match for magic fireballs, the embarrassed knight left and returned to the King’s castle.

“Poor Sir Barkley. Now, was it Sir Edmond’s turn?”

“Not exactly.”

“When does Sir Edmond get a chance?”

“Sir Darwin was next, but he was a bit of a scaredy-cat and didn’t want to face the Wizard alone, so he suggested Sir Edmond go with him.”

“But you said the King would let whoever saved the Princess marry her.”

“That’s right.”

“How could Sir Darwin and Sir Edmond both marry the Princess?”

“The story’s not over yet. Wait for the end. The knights sat down to formulate a plan, but they couldn’t think of anything that would work. It’s not easy to fool a Wizard. Just when they thought it couldn’t be done, Sir Edmond’s Squire, Thinksalot, said he knew what to do. ‘One of the knights should go to the castle gate and challenge Blodwyn to come out and fight. The Wizard won’t leave the castle walls and will try to entice the knight inside.

“The knight will, of course, refuse, and while he keeps Blodwyn busy, the second knight will be in the back. He will fire a grappling hook over the top of the castle wall, swing himself over the moat, and climb up. He will find the Princess, and the two will escape the same way.’ Both knights were shocked that a squire could think up such a great plan.”

“Does Sir Edmond climb up and save the Princess, Daddy?”

“They couldn’t decide who would go to the front and who would go to the back. Either place would be dangerous, and both knights wanted to marry the Princess. Again, Squire Thinksalot found the solution; they should play Rock, Paper, and Scissors. So that is what they did. Sir Edmond’s rock broke Sir Anthony’s scissors on the first try. The second time Sir Anthony’s paper covered Sir Edmond’s rock. The third and final time, Sir Anthony’s scissors cut Sir Edmond’s paper, so Sir Anthony would rescue the Princess.”

“No, Sir Edmond should save the Princess, Daddy.”

“While Sir Edmond kept Blodwyn busy at the gate, Sir Anthony swung over the moat and got to the top of the castle wall, but there was a soldier there who shouted for help. Blodwyn realized he was being duped and rushed to the back. Sir Edmond saw his chance, entered the castle, found the Princess, and left.”

“Did Sir Anthony get hurt, Daddy?”

“When Sir Anthony saw all those soldiers with Blodwyn in front running at him, he slid down the rope, swam the moat, and rode away. When the King heard about Sir Anthony’s bravery, he gave his knight some land and made him a Lord.”

“Did Sir Edmond and the Princess get married?”

“They did, and they had a little girl that wouldn’t go to sleep. Just like a little girl, I know. Now close your eyes and keep them closed.”

“Good night Daddy.”

“Good night Princess.”

THE END