Sleepybye Scared

It was a rainy night outside our hotel suite. Me and my extended family - Luke, Resus, Cleo, Luella, Six, Bluey, Bingo, Muffin, Socks, Mr Watson, Mrs Watson, Alston, Bella, Niles, Eefa, Dr F, Bandit, Chilli, Uncle Stripe, Aunt Trixie and Nana - were all staying in this luxurious suite which consisted of three bedrooms, a bathroom and a living room. Chilli booked it for us because we all needed a good relaxation session after a long week of school and work. After all, it was the Summer holidays. We were quite looking forward to it, what with a fridge full of chocolate and drinks and a bottle of champagne that was waiting for us…

…but the first night we stayed, I was particularly scared. The whole room was dark, and spooky shadows cast themselves on the walls. Rain poured down outside and lightning flashed. BOOM! CRASH! I was sleeping next to Luke, Resus and Cleo, so I had been protected from the wild wind and rain outside. I gently shook my brother. “Luke?” I whispered. “Luke? Are you awake?” Luke opened his crusty eyes and rubbed them. “What do you mean?” he yawned. Resus and Cleo were awake too. “I’m scared, there may be ghosts outside,” I whimpered. “Don’t be silly,” said Cleo, “Nothing’s outside.” “But it’s true, I saw a ghost!” Luke took me in his loving, gentle arms and whispered: “Sssssshhhhh…there there. It’s okay, it’s okay. There are no ghosties outside. They might scare us to death if they were around.” “There’s no need to be afraid,” smiled Resus, “Look, no ghosties.” But he was wedged in between Cleo and Luke so he couldn’t get up. “I know, Luke and I are here to keep you protected,” said Cleo, and we all hugged seeing as we are the best friends on the planet.

Just as our embrace got cuddlier and warmer, we heard a loud BANG from outside. It wasn’t a bomb going off…it was thunder. Luke, Resus, Cleo and I screamed and ran for safety inside Six and Dr F’s bed. They were sleeping together in the same bed, so I was glad there was enough room for all of us. “Six…there are ghosties outside,” I whimpered. “Ghosties?” asked Six, rubbing her eyes, “I think you’re wrong. There are no ghosts outside.” “No ghosts? There are ghosts!” “Stop arguing you two and go back to sleep,” sighed Dr F. “But auntie, it’s true, those loud bangs will make us want to-” BANG! Another lightning crash sounded. All of us hid under the covers, but Aunt F took me in her arms and stroked my back. “It’s okay, darling, it’s okay. Those ghosties won’t do any harm to you. Neither will they do any harm to any of you.” “Aunt F, you’re really kind,” I yawned, and felt safe in the embrace of my aunt, a mad scientist who dedicated her time to creating inventions, only to bask in the safety of playing with her niece.

There it was again! BANG! This time, we were joined by Six and Dr F as we screamed and dashed out of bed, straight into the second bedroom, where Eefa and Luella were sleeping. We leapt under the covers, and Resus snuggled close to Luella. “What’s the matter, my dark angel?” whispered Luella. “Ghosties!” whimpered Resus in a high pitched voice. “Yeah, they’re all over the place!” I added. “I usually have a spell for warding off poltergeists, but it’s far too late for that now,” yawned Eefa. She took me in her arms, and Luella hugged Resus. “There there there now now,” she whispered, “I’ll make you all better. There are no ghosties outside.” “How can they comfort me?” asked Dr F, “I’m only a mad scientist, and why do I have to be in bed beside the other-”

BANG! The loud lightning sound echoed through the air, and Luke, Resus, Cleo, Six, Dr F, Luella and Eefa all screamed and made a run for it back to the bed I shared with Luke, Resus and Cleo. The light switched on, and it was Chilli who did that. She was like the leader of the family, bold and uptight, always on the lookout for danger - especially simple ones. “Okay, stop with the screaming now. I think it’s time we unveiled all this hullabaloo.” Chilli drew open the curtains to reveal a set of trees and some rain on the window. “See? Nothing!” she said. “But..but…but….we thought they were ghosties!” I said. “Yeah!” everyone agreed. “Look, Sybil, let me reassure you - kids are afraid of ghosts all the time, but what they’re actually using is their imagination. You’re sharing it with everyone, increasing your fear more. Just think about something else and the ghosties will go away.” I looked at everyone huddled up shivering in my bed, then I looked back at Chilli. “I will!” “That’s my girl, you got it.” said Chilli. She turned the lights off. “Goodnight, everyone.” she said. “Goodnight,” we all whispered.

As we all fell asleep, thoughts filled my head. Not of ghosts, but of a world made of candy! Luke, Resus, Cleo, Six, Luella and I skipped around this wonderful sweet-smelling world. It had a chocolate volcano, pink marshmallow grass and a fountain of lemonade. Oh my, wasn’t it a sight? These thoughts filled everyone else’s heads too, and throughout the night, we dreamed this very dream, until morning came, and the fear of ghosties rubbed itself out of everyone’s minds…forever.