Bedtime Story

-Once upon a time, deep in an enchanted forest, there was…

*Noooo!

-What’s wrong Fletch?

*That’s where your story was laast week!

-Oh. Okay… Mmmm…. Oh! Once upon a time on a planet in a distant galaxy far, far away…

^Not that one either!

-Why not Phoebes? I don’t think I’ve ever told you two a story set in space.

^Not interested.

-Alright then… What about a story that takes place on a farm in the old west?

*What kind of farm?

-A…

^Booooooring!

-What kind of story would you like to hear tonight then Phoebes? You seem to have something specific in mind.

^Pirates!

*Oooo! Yes! And their ship is inside a volcano!

^Ahhhh! What if they could fly too!?

*That’d be sooo cool!

^Pleeeease Big Brother!

*Mhm!

-Right…Uh-huh… Let me get this straight. You want to hear a story about a ship full of pirates who can fly... inside a volcano? If the pirates can fly, why would they need a ship?

^* Hahahahaha

^No silly! Haha. The ship can fly!

*Not the pirates! That’d be weird.

-Of course it would…. What was I thinking?

… …. ….

-Okay… I’ve got it! Once upon a time, hovering in the belly of a long dormant volcano, in the middle of an uncharted island, was a ship that had sailed through many skies, and survived.

*Like what?

-Like….lightning storms… fire tornados… icy blizzards… annnnd… shifting air currents.

^*Ooooo

-Any way… the captain of the ship…

^Does the ship have a name?

-What? Uh… Yyyy-es, it, does… It’s called… The Specter.

*Scepter?

-No…  Specter. Switch the p and c around. A scepter is like a staff or wand.

*What’s a specter then?

^Someone who watches our soccer games.

-Haha No, that’s a spectator. A specter is another way of saying ghost.

^Really!? Awesome!

-Can I continue?

^* Mhm!

-Where was I…?

^Start over.

-Oo-kay. … Once upon a time, hovering in the belly of a long dormant volcano, on an uncharted island, was a ship that had sailed through many skies, and survived… Striking bolts of lightning… Spiraling tunnels of fire… Freezing mists of ice… And turbulent fluxes of air. The ship was called, The Specter for its fierceness and illusiveness.

*What’s that?

^Stop interrupting him Fletch!

-It’s okay Phoebes. Something illusive is hard to catch.

*Like Kipper?

-Kind of. Except your Chameleon is illusive in a different way. He uses camouflage to escape instead of quick movements.

*Ohhh.

^Keep going Big Brother!

-Okay. The crew who manned The Specter were just as notorious.

*….

-Famous. Their leader was called… was calllled… hmm. What’s a good pirate name?

^Galahad.

-That’s a knight’s name from the round table.

^I know. Buuuut… maybe he fell out of favor with the king for some reason, so now he’s a pirate! But not a bad one.

-A good pirate who lost favor with his king. I think I can work with that. … Their leader was called Galahad... the Vibrant.

*…

-Bright, colorful. Once a member of the most revered… respected… group of knights who served as the king’s aides and most trusted confidants… friends. He and the king had a dispute, or fight. Galahad was cheerful and sociable, unlike the king. He naturally drew everyone’s  attention. Which the king grew to… dislike. He became bitter, handing out harsher punishments for simple infractions.

*Like getting sick?

-What?

*Infraction. Like when I had a cold?

-No Fletch. That was an infection. An infraction is when someone breaks the law.

^Oh! Like when you speed?

-Ooft. Yes, Phoebes… that teeechnically is an infraction.

^*Got it.

-Mhm. Anyway… The king was worried about Galahad’s influence growing. The nobles seemed to prefer his company than their kings! Only one thing could fix that. He accused Galahad of a severe crime and banished him from the kingdom. He kicked him out and told him to never return.

^Poor Galahad.

*Yeah! Mean king!

^What did he do?

-Who?

^Galahad. What crime did he commit?

-Oh. I hadn’t thought of that.

*How about his clothes. You said he was… colorful?

-Why…? Oh! Because he’s called Galahad the Vibrant? Makes sense. So, he wore such colorful and attractive attire that the king felt as if he was trying to outshine him. Which meant that he was trying to take the throne away from the king.

*But aren’t thrones big and heavy?

-Huh?

*How can he take the king’s throne if it’s so big?

-Uh…

^No silly! He’s not taking the throne itself. The king thinks that Galahad wants to be the king, instead of… the king. Right Big Brother?

-Right.

*Ohhh. Okay. What happened next?

-Galahad was supposed to board a ship two days later to leave his home forever. However, in the harbor, he heard some of the soldiers talking about a possible invasion the king was planning. But if that happened, too many people would needlessly lose their lives. Not to mention the other kingdom was an ally of theirs. So, why would he want to start a war with them? Galahad needed to stop him. He tried talking to the soldiers to get more details. Although they respected him, they wouldn’t reveal anything though. By then, everyone had heard about him being banished. And anyone who helped him, would also be banished. As he stood there, trying to figure out his next move, someone called out to him. When he turned around, it was his best friend, Bart. When he asked him why he was in the harbor, his friend laughed at him, saying he wasn’t going anywhere without him. Galahad tried arguing with him, but Bart wouldn’t listen. To Galahad’s surprise, Bart whistled, and three others stepped out from behind the cargo sitting on the docks. He introduced them as…

*Scrutt!

^Dibble!

*Ooo And Jax!

-You’ve been thinking of this kind of story for a while, haven’t you?

^*Hahahaha

-Alright. He introduced them as Scrutt, Dibble, and Jax. Friends of his from a tavern he liked to visit. Rogues. Informants who had helped them several times. They greeted one another and led Galahad away from the docks to where they had hidden their special ship. The only one of its kind. Galahad boarded it with them, and when they were out of sight… wings unfolded from the sides of the hull and it lifted off the water. Galahad…

… … …

-Galahad was accepted as the new Captain of The Specter. After successfully warning the other kingdom, and single-handedly ending the war between the two kingdoms, the king was de-throned and his daughter took over. She pardoned the crew of The Specter. They refused her offer to be her personal guard. Instead, they chose to remain free men of the seas… and skies. It’s said that if you’re ever in need of help, they will be there to uphold justice.

… … …

-Ha Asleep. I thought they'd make to the end this time... Haha Goodnight Phoebes… Goodnight Fletch…

… … …

>What was the story about tonight?

-A pirate. Who used to be a knight. Then became the captain of a flying vigilante ship that docks in the belly of a dormant volcano.

>Sounds... interesting. Thank you for watching them again. Work has been crazy lately.

-They’re my brother and sister. I’ll always be here for them.