Dream Girl

Author’s note: In 1990, I wrote this bedtime story for my two year old daughter. Tucked into the covers next to her were Mr. Monkey and the Wooly Bear and on her bedroom floor, the biplane. I hope that your children and grandchildren will enjoy hearing it too.

Rocking horses and Teddy Bears are scattered around the floor in her room upstairs and little Kalene lies sleeping in her crib. There is an airplane mobile flying overhead, protecting the airspace above her bed and a music box across the room plays gentle music.

At the end of her crib, at Kalene’s feet, two stuffed animals watched the little girl sleep, knowing they would come alive when the young girl dreams. They were Mr. Monkey, who was sewn from socks and the Wooly Bear, who grumbled a lot because he never felt he was given enough to eat.

Somewhere in the house a clock struck nine and though she was asleep, in Kalene’s mind, she began to dream that she was wide awake.

“Hello, Mr. Monkey and Wooly Bear,” she said as she sat up and brushed back her hair. Leaning forward, she gave each a kiss on the cheek.

“Good evening,” said Monkey. “Did you have a good sleep?”

“I’m hungry!” said Bear. “Let’s find something to eat.” And without even saying hello he climbed out of the crib.

“Wooly Bear, you get back here!” the sock monkey scolded. He reached out and pulled back the bear by the shoulder and gave him a lecture on being polite to Kalene.

“Good evening,” mumbled Bear. He was red in the face. “All day long I’ve been smelling the poppy-seed cakes that you and your mom have been baking downstairs in the kitchen.

“You’re forgiven Mr. Bear. Now before it’s too late, we must plan an adventure before I awake.” And together they sat and talked about what they should do.

“Would you like to play dress-up?” Mr. Monkey suggested.

“No!” shouted Bear. “Last time you made me wear dresses.”

“I think,” entered Kalene, “we should do something we have never done before.”

She lay on her back and stared up at the ceiling. Suddenly, an idea in her head began brewing as she focused her eyes on the mobile high overhead.

“My daddy is a pilot,” she said to her friends. “He flies helicopters and Cessna airplanes. I want to fly in the sky just like him!”

She stood and looked over the rails of her crib. Her eyes scanned the floor from the walls to her bed. When she spotted the aircraft, she called her two friends to come look.

There on the floor, wings shiny and red, a World War One biplane sat next to her bed. A gift, handmade with love by her uncle Tom. It had black rubber wheels, gold stars on the wings, a big wood propeller which actually spins, and a seat where the pilot would sit to fly the big plane.

“There is our adventure, Mr. Monkey and Bear. We have no time to waste. We’ll need warm clothes to wear.” Going to her dresser, she found a hat, scarf, and coat for each.

“I don’t want to seem rude or afraid,” said Bear shyly, “but do you know anything about airplanes or flying?”

“Don’t worry Wooly Bear,” said Monkey, “this is only a dream.”

“Since there is only one seat, I’m the pilot,” said Kalene. “You two will have to sit out on the wings.” Monkey and Bear agreed that this was not a very good adventure.

She dressed them both warm in the coats, scarves, and hats, and tied them securely between the wing struts. Then sitting herself in the cockpit she shouted, “All Clear!”

Turning the key, the big engine sputtered, coughed a few times as it shook, and it shuttered. Finally, it let out a loud and windy roar. Then the plane began rolling toward the bedroom door, missing the toys and the clothes on the floor. Bear and the Monkey gave Kalene a slight worried look.

Now, mother went to bed because she was sleepy, and dad was downstairs in his chair by the T.V. snoring quite loudly with the newspaper draped over his belly. But because it was a dream, when they rolled down the hall, the roar of the engine woke no one at all. “We’ll use the hall as a runway,” shouted Kalene.

As the plane reached the end, she spun it around. “This is enough room to get off of the ground!”

“I’ve had enough already,” whined the Wooly Bear.

“This is the way I’ve seen daddy do it.” She pushed in the throttle and pulled back the stick and the biplane jumped forward picking up speed down the hall. Just before reaching the door to the stairs, the plane lifted off and took to the air. Monkey, Kalene, and the Bear had eyes big as plates.

She banked the wings left and dove down the stairs like the rollercoaster ride she rode at the fair. Their stomachs rose and tickled the back of their throats. They sailed through the front room just missing the coat tree, passed over the couch, piano, and T.V. and a snoring dad with a paper draped over his belly.

A tempting smell hung thick in the air and naturally caught the nose of the bear. It was the poppy-seed cakes that were crying out to be eaten.

“I’m hungry!” yelled Bear. “Quick, before you awake, let’s fly in and get me some poppy-seed cakes.” Feeling hungry herself, Kalene pointed the plane towards the kitchen.

There on the counter stacked six to a plate, were forty-eight mouthwatering poppy-seed cakes. Circling twice, Wooly Bear scooped up two for each of them. Then she landed the plane by the dining room window and they ate up their cakes but before they continued, they each had a large glass of milk which she got from the fridge.

“Mr. Monkey,” said Kalene, “you know how to climb. Please get up and pull down the cord to the blinds. Then maybe all three of us can push open the dining room window.”

Mr. Monkey, who loved adventure and was eager to help, jumped to his feet nearly spilling his milk. When he opened the blinds, the light of the full moon shone in. Together, they pushed the big window open, allowing the warm evening breezes to flow in. They hurriedly took their places back on the plane. Then flying a circle once more around the room, they shot through the window pointing straight for the moon, up over the tall evergreen trees in the back yard.

Mr. Monkey and Bear gripped the struts with shear fright. They had never been up so high in their lives, but Kalene had been many times with her dad in his plane. She made the plane loop, and she did a few rolls, over the cows in the fields down below until Mr. Monkey and Bear both shouted, “Enough!”

And in the backlight of the full autumn moon, a flock of geese in formation flew. They were heading for Terrell Lake from the country fields. They had eaten all day in the rows of corn. They needed the fat to keep them warm because winter was only a month or two away.

Following the river, Kalene flew to the city. “Oh, look at the lights down below, aren’t they pretty?” Mr. Monkey and Bear leaned over to get a good look. There were all different sizes of red, blue, and green ones. Large neon signs and rotating beacons and plenty of headlights from cars that were driving the streets.

Then she buzzed the tall steeple of the 1^st Baptist church, scaring the pigeons asleep on their perch. They scattered and filled the air like leaves in the wind.

It was a mistake flying over Mountain View Street. Jeni the baker was making good things to eat and you-know-who, once again decided he was hungry.

“Sorry, Wooly Bear. No more cookies or pie. Sweets are bad for your tummy at night.” And then she began to wonder, how late is it anyway?

She banked the wings of her roaring biplane and flew to the corner of Vista and Main. The clock on the roof of the bank read 11:45.

“Time to go back, my two special friends. It won’t be long until this dream ends.” She pointed the nose of the airplane around towards home.

They reached the house at exactly midnight, dove over the trees toward the living room light, then sailed through the window and roared up the stairs to her room. Landing the plane on the floor by the crib, they all got undressed and jumped back into bed.

“Thank you for the adventure, Kalene,” said her two friends.

“I love you Monkey, and Wooly Bear. Tomorrow is another adventure, but I don’t know where.” She kissed them each goodnight and ended her dream.

Next morning mom dressed for the breakfast meal. When she went down the stairs, she let out a squeal. The living room was a total and horrible mess. There were papers scattered all over the floor. The window was open but wait, there was more. The pictures, curtains, and lampshades were all very crooked.

She ran to the kitchen, but it was too late. Someone had taken six poppy-seed cakes. She found the wrappers lying on the living room floor. Then running upstairs, she woke up dad, who hadn’t noticed the mess when he stumbled to bed. “Quick, call the police. We had robbers last night!” mother screamed.

Then she ran down the hall, and to her relief, Kalene was safe and fast asleep. At the foot of her crib sat Monkey and Wooly Bear.

The police never found out what happened that night, but they thought maybe racoons broke in for a bite. No one else knew of the world of Kalene’s dreams.

Nightly they meet – Monkey, Bear, and Kalene – to explore new adventures in the land of her dreams. It never gets old because they’re dear friends, and sometime tonight . . . they will do it again.

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