Hurry! He urged himself. Run faster!
Daggett’s running for his life down a long, dark hallway. A huge, smelly, terrifying something was right behind him. But it’s as if he’s running in quicksand! His legs churned—but he didn’t go anywhere. He tried to scream—but nothing came out.
He heard the thing’s hooves clattered on the wood floor. He felt its hot breath on the back of his neck.
It’s so close!
Suddenly Daggett’s on the roof. How the hell did he get there?
But the thing was still after him!
Tentacles wrapped around his ankle. “Oh, no!” Daggett screamed. He turned and kicked like a maniac. As hard as he could.
He did it! He broke free!
But the force of his kick sent him backwards. He teetered at the edge of the roof.
“Aaaaaaah!” Daggett shrieked. He fell into the dark void. This is the end!
But the fall seemed to go on forever. And with each passing second his terror grew…
--:--
“Oh, no!”
Daggett jerked himself upright, shaking. His T-shirt was soaked with cold sweat.
“Not another nightmare!” he moaned. With a trembling hand, he reached for the lamp by his bed and switched it on.
As light flooded the room, it all came rushing back to him. That’s right. He’s on vacation with his parents and he’s sleeping at an inn. His folks were snoring in the next room.
He grabbed the quilt and tucked it under his chin. Be calm, he told himself.
His parents loved this inn. They thought it’s “quaint”. Daggett thought it’s old and creaky. The place gave him the creeps.
Was that a sound? Nervously, he glanced behind him. He gasped. The hideous, distorted face of a gargoyle was only inches away!
In another second he realized the truth. The gargoyle was only a wooden carving. Part of the headboard of his bed.
It isn’t real, Daggett reassured himself.
There were 4 gargoyles carved into the headboard. Their mouths were opened in ghastly grins. Their claws seemed to dig into the headboard. Their wings were ready to take flight.
No wonder he had a nightmare!
He edged away from the headboard towards the middle of the bed. He hated nightmares more than anything. The worst were the ones with the Sleep Master.
The Sleep Master was a strange character who appeared often in Daggett’s nightmares. Sometimes he looked like a kid his age. Sometimes he couldn’t even see his face. But his eyes were always the same—gray and cold. And he always said the same thing: “Wake up, Daggett! Your whole life is just a dream. What you call the dream world is the reality. Wake up and live it!”
The Sleep Master scared him more than any gargoyle. He had the feeling that if he caught him in his dream, he’ll never wake up.
But of course, the Sleep Master was only a dream.
Wasn’t he?
Daggett shivered as he thought about the Sleep Master. Now he’ll never get back to sleep.
The clock on the nightstand said it’s only 1 A.M. He couldn’t stay up all night. Tomorrow morning, he and his folks are supposed to go on a hike. He’s got to get some sleep! But he didn’t want to stretch out under those gargoyles.
He could wake up his parents—but only little kids do that. Besides, they’d tell him it was a dream and to go back to sleep.
He could go downstairs to the kitchen of the inn and find something to eat. But the dark old house was just as scary as the bed.
So what should he do?
As Daggett tried to decide, he glanced at the headboard.
Hey! Did one of the gargoyles just wink at him?
“That’s it!” he barked. “I’m out of here!”
His feet slid over the cold wooden floor. He tiptoed down the stairs. At the bottom he switched on a light and saw…
No monsters. Whew! So far, so good.
Daggett nervously headed for the kitchen. On the way, he passed through the old-fashioned sitting room. He noticed a tall bookcase, crammed with old yellowing volumes. Maybe a book would calm him down.
He glanced at the titles. One old book caught his eye. He pulled it out. He had to blow the dust away to read the title:
“Dr. Morphos’s Sleep Remedies,” he read aloud. How corny could I get? He thought. But it could be fun.
He turned on a lamp and sat back in a large easy chair. He opened the dusty leather book. He read the first page.
CAN’T SLEEP? it said in large block letters.
Genius guess, he thought. He read on. He could see right away the book was bogus. All its sleep remedies were back in 1903.
Still, they might be good for a laugh.
Daggett felt a big yawn coming on. Gee, he thought, this is working already. I can barely keep my eyes open.
He turned the page.
At the top of this page was a warning in bold face letters.
ADVANCED SELF-HYPNOSIS METHOD. USE WITH EXTREME CAUTION. PARENTAL DISCRETION IS ADVICED.
There were two listings here. The first was “Beautiful Dreamer: Guaranteed to give you the deepest, most restful sleep you’ve ever had.” The second was “Wonderful Dream World: Fill your night with lovely dreams.”
Hmmm. Maybe I should try one of these, Daggett thought. But which one?
Finally, he chose the latter and turned to that page. At first, the instructions made him laugh.
1. THINK WONDERFUL, BEAUTIFUL THOUGHTS. SOON YOU’LL BE HAVING WONDERFUL, BEAUTIFUL DREAMS.
“Yeah, right,” Daggett muttered. He read on.
2. COUNT BACKWARDS BY SEVENS, STARTING WITH 559.
3. ALSO, IMAGINE SEA SQUIDS JUMPING OVER A FENCE.
4. ON EVERY 3RD NUMBER, HUM “YANKEE DOODLE”.
Huh? How can I fall asleep doing all that? Daggett giggled as he started counting from 559.
“539, 532, 525, 518…This will never work,” he mumbled. “It’s ridicul…”
YAWN.
His eyelids felt heavy.
“455, 448, 441, 434…”
He felt himself slipping away.
--:--
The chair felt so soft, he could just lie there forever.
Except the chair was tickling his back.
Then Daggett realized he’s lying in a green meadow.
The spooky inn by the sea was gone. Instead he’s in a beautiful valley. At the bottom of the valley was a small lake.
I must be dreaming, he realized. Hey, this is a nice dream.
The sky looked so beautiful. It would be great to fly up there. And suddenly he knew he could fly. All he had to do was try. Of course he could fly. This was a dream, right?
I can do it, he thought, I can fly. And right away he began to rise up into the air. Soon the meadow and the lake were small shapes far below. He couldn’t believe how easy it was.
“Wow!” Daggett shouted. “I’m flying! Yahoo!”
His heart was beating quickly.
“This is great!” he cried, as he turned effortlessly, high above the earth. “I’m like a bird. Nah. More like—a bat!”
A moth fluttered by a few feet away. Daggett dived through the sky. Mouth opened, he gulped it in midair.
Mmm, that was tasty, he thought.
Then it hit him.
“Yuck!” he squeaked. “I just ate a moth!”
In shock, he put his hands to his mouth. Just as quickly, he jerked them away. He’s covered with hairy, leathery skin! He had claws and webbed fingers. Yecch!
He really has turned into a bat!
Despite the horror, instinct took over. He flapped his wings. He bounced high-pitched sound waves off objects. And it all seemed as natural as riding a bike.
For some reason, Daggett got an urge to fly towards a nearby hill. Gliding closer, he saw the dark mouth of a giant cave. Whoa! The stench of bat droppings filled his sensitive nostrils. The human part of him wanted to turn back. But the bat part of him was happy to be home.
Guess which part won.
He flew into the darkness. Then he expertly flitted upside down. The claws on his feet grabbed the cave ceiling. He knew he’s only dreaming. But then he remembered something. Hey! I was supposed to have wonderful dreams!
“It is wonderful, if you’re a bat,” said a familiar voice.
It can’t be. Not him. Not here.
Hanging beside him was the Sleep Master!
The Sleep Master appeared to be half human, half bat. He smiled at him with a human face. His eyes were a dead gray, almost colourless.
Chills traveled up Daggett’s spine. He didn’t know why he feared him so much. He’d never done anything to him. But he couldn’t stand to be so near to him.
I’m just dreaming, he reminded himself. He’d like to pinch himself awake, but he didn’t have fingers to do so.
“Trying to wake up, Daggett?” the Sleep Master asked in a squeaky voice. “Don’t bother. You’re not going anywhere!”
He couldn’t get out of this dream. But he could escape from that freaky bat-boy. All he had to do was fly away.
He was about to drop off the cave ceiling to do so, but he stopped himself.
Something’s different about this dream. It’s the first dream in which he knew he was inside a dream. Something’s going on. He had to find out what—even if it means talking to him. He could be as helpful as Attila the Hun anyway.
“Okay,” Daggett agreed. “Go ahead. I’m listening.”
The next thing he saw, he’s a human kid again. He and the Sleep Master were standing on the tower of a grim castle on a wind-swept plain. Now the Sleep Master was a young boy about his age. He wore a brown cloak over him.
“I was once like you,” he explained. “I was a kid, living in the other world. But one night I fell asleep. In my dream, I came to this world. I turned into what you see now. A spirit—the Sleep Master. And I have never been able to get back.”
“Why can’t you get back?” Daggett asked.
But he was afraid to hear the answer.
A look of anger crossed the Sleep Master’s thin face. “I can’t get back because of the ruler of this dream world,” he replied. “He has trapped me here—and he will do the same to you.”
“The ruler?” Daggett stammered. His brain was being overloaded by too much weirdness. “What ruler?”
“Lord Morphos,” the Sleep Master explained. “He ruled this dream world. His dream crystal seizes while we sleep and traps us here. We can only escape by defeating him.”
“Defeating him?” Daggett repeated. That sounded dangerous.
“I’ve been here so long, I’ve gained some powers,” the Sleep Master added. “I can change the dream a little bit. But Lord Morphos can change the dream anyway he wants. I’ve tried to battle him, but I’m not strong enough myself. But the 2 of us might be able to defeat him—if we work together.”
Daggett’s mind reeled from the Sleep Master’s words. Just a moment ago he was the enemy. Now he’s asking Daggett to help him. Could he believe him? Besides, this was all a dream, wasn’t it? Why couldn’t he just wake up?
Daggett felt tired and faint. He leaned against the low wall that ran around the tower. It felt cold, hard and very real. Once again, he realized this was no ordinary dream. He really was trapped here.
That helped him wake up his mind.
“Okay,” he told the Sleep Master. “What do we do?”
“It won’t be easy,” he cautioned. “We have 2 choices. Either we defeat Lord Morphos in battle, or we challenge him to a contest of wits. Which do you prefer?”
Standing on the stone tower, Daggett thought hard. The more he thought about Morphos, the angrier he got. Ever since he started this dream, he’d been pushed around. Now he’s ready to fight back.
“I choose battle!” he shouted “Let’s rumble!”
The Sleep Master smiled grimly and nodded. In a flash Daggett found himself dressed in shining armour, a lance in his hand. He’s sitting astride a mighty charger. The Sleep Master perches on a horse next to him. Both of them were in the middle of a vast field. The Sleep Master held a long red pennant in one hand and a golden trumpet in the other. As Daggett watched in awe, he blew a single note on the trumpet.
Instantly the field around him was filled with a mighty army. There were hundreds of soldiers in chain mail, knights on horseback, and archers.
“This is your army,” the Sleep Master shouted over the din. “Now lead us!”
The Sleep Master pointed ahead. Daggett saw an opposing army lined up to meet him. Wow! It’s even larger than his own! In the center of the enemy force was a tall figure on a black stallion. His black shield had white Z’s painted on it.
Across the distance separating the 2 armies, his black eyes found him. He nodded, as if daring him to attack. The fear in the pit of Daggett’s stomach told him the knight was Lord Morphos.
“We await your orders,” the Sleep Master uttered. “Shall we attack? Or do you wish to meet Lord Morphos in single combat?”
“No,” Daggett, after taking a long, deep breath, declared with determination. “This is my fight.”
Without another word, he spurred his horse forward. At the top of his lungs Daggett screamed a challenge.
“Lord Morphos! This is between you and I!”
The leader or the opponent army galloped to mett Daggett. Between the 2 armies, the 2 of them stopped.
Lord Morphos laughed with contempt. “Choose your weapon!” he ordered in a deep, growling voice.
Weapon? Daggett hadn’t thought of that. He glanced down and saw that he’s carrying 2 weapons; a long broad sword and a short, sharp dagger. As he made up his mind, the Sleep Master appeared on his horse, next to Daggett.
“Don’t worry about it,” he told him. “Lord Morphos is just a big bag of wind.” Then he vanished back to the army.
A bag of wind? He looks pretty tough, Daggett thought.
That sword was too heavy for him to lift, Daggett realized. So he grabbed the dagger. And he flew straight to Lord Morphos.
He flew because he’s turned into a bumble-bee. Lord Morphos was about a thousand times larger than he was.
But Daggett felt cocky.
He may be the lord of the dream world, he thought, but I’ve got a stinger!
At first Lord Morphos didn’t see him. When he buzzed past his helmet, he noticed him.
SWOOSH!
His sword sliced through the air. Daggett easily dodged it. He’s so tiny the Eiffel Tower-sized blade seemed to wave in slow motion. Like a mini-missile, he swerved and zoomed through a chink in Lord Morphos’s arm.
“Take that!” he buzzed.
Lord Morphos leapt in pain from Daggett’s sting. “Yeow!” he bellowed . Frantically, he clawed at his armour. Daggett flew out of reach.
He heard him moaning. Then he heard another sound coming from his enemy. It’s like the hiss of air escaping from a tire. Or a…
Balloon! He thought.
The great Lord Morphos began to shrivel, like a balloon losing air. The Sleep Master said Lord Morphos was a big bag of wind—and it looked as if he wasn’t kidding.
“Help!” Lord Morphos hissed as air rushed out of him. Soon, all that’s left of him was an empty suit of armour.
Daggett’s army came rushing up, clanking their swords in applause. Lord Morphos’s army vanished like a bad dream.
“You did it!” the Sleep Master yelled. “You won!”
“Great!” Daggett shouted. “Let’s go home!”
“If that’s what you want,” the Sleep Master replied.
Daggett gazed at the army gathered around him on the plain. One by one they kneeled before him.
“You may return to your dull reality,” the Sleep Master explained. “Or, if you wish, remain here in the dream world as its new ruler. Anything you dream will come true.”
The Sleep Master added with a frown, “If you stay, you cannot return to your old reality. You must rule here forever. The dream world awaits your decision.”
For a moment, Daggett’s mind reeled at a chance for limitless power.
But it’s only power over dreams, he thought.
Still, the words of the Sleep Master echoed in his mind. Anything he dreams will come true.
It’s really not a hard decision.
“I want to go home,” Daggett said.
The Sleep Master nodded his head. And suddenly—Daggett’s back in the chair at the inn, exactly where he fell asleep. He did it! He could hardly wait to get upstairs and see his parents.
He started to jump up out of the chair.
YIKES!
He’s floating above the chair. And he’s wearing a space suit. In front of him was a giant view-screen filled with millions of stars. More shocking was the sight of his parents sitting on either side. They’re also dressed like astronauts!
“Mom? Dad?” Daggett blurted out. “What’s happening?”
“We’re going into Warp 5,” his mother replied calmly.
“But…but…we’re in a space ship!”
“Of course we are,” she replied. “This is where we live.”
“No…” he began, but a familiar voice interrupted him.
“It is now,” said the Sleep Master.
Daggett couldn’t believe his eyes. The Sleep Master also decked out in a space suit.
“You liar!” Daggett shouted. “You said I could go back to reality.”
“But you have,” the Sleep Master explained. “I said if you defeat Lord Morphos, I’d also return. I guess I brought my powers with me. I can change things here, like I did in my reality. This is my new dream world!”
“Stop this!” Daggett commanded the Sleep Master. “I want you to make everything back to normal, right now!”
“Sorry,” the Sleep Master replied. “From now on, this is normal.”
“Strap yourselves in!” shouted Daggett’s mom. “When we’re out of hyperdrive, I’ll serve lunch.”
Traveling through space with his parents? Daggett was about to scream in protest, but then it hit him.
This could be the greatest road trip ever!
“What do you say?” asked the Sleep Master. “You want to give it a try?”
“Sure,” Daggett replied with a big grin. “But I get the window seat!”
Comments