The Dream Catcher Rescue Squad

Story Text and Illustrations - Christopher Francis © 2021

CHAPTER ONE: Abigail

Hi.

I’m Paisley.

This is a story about my second assignment as a Dream Catcher.

I have to admit I’m really nervous. This is where I might become a member of the official Dream Catcher Rescue Squad and earn my badge.

Time: 7:47 PM

Abigail had another bad dream last night. The poor girl didn’t sleep much at all.

Her mother came into her room three times.

She thinks it is because Abigail ate too much chocolate and watched too many scary movies last week.

Me? I think it’s the Moon Drifters.

Who are they?

I’ll explain later. Our team needs to get ready. It’s nearly bedtime, and Abigail is brushing her teeth in the next room.

Destiny taps me on the shoulder and points to the door.

“We have to be quiet,” Destiny whispers.

“I know, I’ve done this before,” I reply.

The two of us stick our heads out from under the carpet.

Destiny is my friend. She is as tall as a grape.

Me? I’m more like a raisin. The two of us have been given the job of Abigail’s dream catchers. We are assigned only one night with her to make sure the bad dreams are gone and that she sleeps happily until morning. One night! Talk about mission impossible.

Did you know the first Dream Catchers were created by the Ojibwe people a long time ago?

They were probably really good at catching dreams. I can only hope to be as good as the Ojibwe Dream Catchers one day.

This is only my second shift as a dream catcher. That means I have only helped one child so far. And to be honest, I didn’t do much because I was shadowing Destiny. That means I was only watching and learning.

“Here she comes,” I say. “Quick. Hide.”

“Good job,” Destiny replies. We hide in the corner by the closet and Abigail’s giant dollhouse. The carpet is Berber and it’s not very thick. Plus, it smells like dog hair.

“Did Bossy-Boots forget to tell us this family has a pet?” I ask. “What if the animal sees us?”

“Shh,” Destiny replies. “Keep your voice down.”

Bossy-Boots is our Dream Catcher Leader. She works at the HQ, which is short for HeadQuarters. Her real name is BeeBee, but we like to call her Bossy-Boots because she’s so...well...bossy.

Destiny doesn’t like pets. She told me once that a crazy dog tried to eat her because it thought she was a new chew toy.

Cats are the worst, though. They’re actually smart.

Abigail enters the room and kicks off her furry bunny-shaped slippers. She pulls her covers back and climbs into bed. There’s a tear in her eye as she wraps her arms around a tiny doll. Oh no.

“I don’t want to go to sleep!” she says to herself. “I’m scared.”

Destiny turns to me. “With all of the powers we have to turn bad dreams into good ones, there is one thing we can’t do.” “What’s that?” I ask.

“Help them fall asleep,” Destiny replies.

“Really? How long will it take?” I ask.

Just then, the door opens, and a large furry creature walks in. It’s not a dog.

It’s a cat!

CHAPTER TWO: Don’t Move Time: 7:50 PM

The cat creeps along the floor. Its long black tail rises over its body, swaying back and forth like seaweed.

Its green eyes glow in the fading light.

“Stay low,” Destiny says to me. “Cats can spot anything that doesn’t look right.”

“Are you saying I don’t look right?” I ask.

“No, silly. But if that cat sees you, we’re done for.”

“What do you mean? I’m fast and small. It would never catch me.” I back up into the corner of the room and duck under one of Abigail’s dolls.

I’m actually brave, but I just don’t feel like it today.

And, I’m new, so I don’t want to show off too much. I also don’t want to be the cat’s dinner tonight.

The cat’s ears perk up as it turns in our direction.

“It sees us,” I whisper. “I think it sees us.”

“Don’t move,” Destiny says. She pulls me into the corner and pushes my head down.

The cat moves toward us.

I close my eyes and listen. And wait.

Time: 7:55 PM

The room is large. I mean, of course it’s large because we’re the size of gumballs, but the space is large compared to an average child’s bedroom (at least bigger than the one from my first job). That isn’t a good thing for creatures like us because it takes longer to get to the next hiding place.

Creatures.

Did I just say that?

Let me try again.

We’re more like fairies without wings.

But we can fly.

Did I mention that yet? We have helicopter flaps on our heads. See?

“Quick, the curtains,” Destiny says to me.

The cat moves toward us again and then jumps.

We launch our little bodies up and fly over to the window. It’s far.

The cat’s paws reach out as it tries to swat us out of the air. We both dodge the cat’s giant claws and find a safe spot behind the girl’s curtains.

Yikes.

To Be Continued: Thursday, October 28