“Ouch!” squealed Woggy. And then he slapped his hand over his mouth. The pinch had transported him somewhere. He was in a bed. It was his bed, in his room! He was home, and he could smell waffles cooking.
As you have certainly guessed, a pinch in A-Dream sends you home.
Woggy blinked his eyes open and wondered if the whole thing had been a dream. Had he really gone on adventures? Did he really make new friends? The whole thing seemed too incredible to believe.
He climbed out of bed and saw that his little brother was breathing the rhythm of sleep. He tiptoed out of the room. It was early in the morning. Then Woggy felt the weight of a heavy metal key was in his pocket. He pulled it out of his pocket and looked at it in wonder. It was real! He stuck it back in his pocket and quietly climbed down the stairs and headed towards the smell of food.
Woggy’s mom was cooking breakfast, and he could tell by the way she stood tensely, and the way she kept reaching for the towel on her shoulder that she was trying to keep herself busy to keep from worrying.
“Good morning!” said Woggy.
“Woggy!” shouted his mom with surprise and delight. She stopped everything and turned around to look at him. She ran to Woggy wrapping him in a warm hug. She held him tightly for a long time.
“Are you okay? Where have you been? We have been worried sick. Oh, I am just so happy to see you!” She gave him another big hug. It felt so good to be home.
“Tell me everything,” his mom said as she grabbed a plate and put some waffles on it.
Woggy told her the whole story. Everything from turning the wrong way down the one-way street, meeting his three new friends, the Perch, the castle, the treasure, the Night Knights, Mr. King, and then, finally waking up in his bed. He told her about tacos and mangoes, and the beach. He showed her the metal key from his pocket. He even told her about Pinky and his pinches, and the way Spark added color and beauty to all their adventures.
Woggy expected her to respond the way grown-ups usually do and say something like, “That’s nice, dear...” or “What really happened?” but she did not; she believed him. You see, Woggy’s mom was also a dreamer, and she knew all about imagination and how real it is.
Together they ate waffles and talked and laughed. Woggy’s mom smiled at him. Woggy smiled back, and his mom thought that his smile was the most extraordinary thing in the world.
The morning sun rose higher in the sky and soon the whole family was awake. Everyone hugged Woggy, and even the cat rubbed against his legs to welcome him home. He told the whole family of his adventures and they all laughed and wondered at it all.
The family spent the whole day together. Someone had given Woggy’s dad some new fishing poles the day before, so they drove to the lake to try them out.
Woggy taught his family everything he had learned about fishing, and he missed Finn. He showed them how to tie on a hook, and weights, and bobbers, and put the bait on the hook. He showed them how to cast the line way out into the water and slowly bring it back. The family sat on the shore, content to be together, without any pressures or cares.
The afternoon turned to evening and soon the night arrived. Woggy was not scared of the dark anymore– well, maybe a little, but just barely. At bedtime, he looked out of his bedroom window up into the night sky. He could see the stars turning on, one by one, and he was pretty sure there was a Spark darting from star to star making them turn on with little flickers.
Woggy thought back on all of his adventures. Everything seemed different now—he saw the world differently. He had gone on incredible adventures—actually, extraordinary adventures. And he had learned two things: first, he wanted to be Woggy (which he was), the boy who was curious about life, and was just not ordinary. Second, that he had friends—friends who cared about him and liked him for who he was. Woggy wondered if his friends were looking up at the stars at that very moment, too. What were they doing? Had they arrived safely home, too?
I will tell you that, indeed, Woggy’s three friends were looking up into the night sky as Spark lit up the stars. They did all make it home. Robin brought home the gold coins, but Mr. King never came to collect money from her family again. And when Robin saw Mr. King walking on the sidewalk or at the store, he always stayed far away from her. (He always looked at her with eyes full of fear mixed with respect, and he seemed to flinch like someone, or something was about to pinch him.)
Robin and her family did not have to deal with Mr. King much longer because Robin’s dad soon got a new job teaching in another town, and so they were able to move away to a better Land, but that is a story for another day, and another book.
Finn still looks for Seaple every time he is near water. He has not found them yet, but I suspect he will soon. And when he does, he probably won’t talk about it much, but I will make sure to tell you anything I hear about it.
Now you might think that Sara’s mom did not even notice that Sara was away, because she is always so busy working. But the truth is she did notice, and she was incredibly worried, so worried in fact that she set aside a lot of “important” things and immediately went out looking for Sara.
When Sara finally came back home her mom was overjoyed. She realized that those “important” things were getting in the way of the most important thing— Sara.
Sara and her mom spend a lot more time together now and Sara’s mom is starting to see Sara for who she is. And not just for her amazing drawing talents, she is taking time to notice that her daughter is interesting, and kind, and brave; and someone that she wants to spend more time with.
I know you wanted to know all of that, but I’m guessing that most of you are wondering about A-Dream, and if the children ever went back? Did they ever see each other again?
Yes.
When they each went to bed that night, they drifted off to sleep and one by one they all found their way back to A-Dream through sleep. (Once you have already been to A-Dream it is quite easy to get there again and, as we all know, the best way to find a dream is when you are asleep.) They were all there, Robin and Finn and Sara and Woggy. Sara’s painted pony grazed in the field near the perch, and Spark spun excitedly in the sky.
It was a magical reunion full of running and playing and laughter.
Now, almost every night the four children meet together in A-Dream. (Not every night because, as you know, not every night comes with dreams.) But when they do find themselves there, they go running through the woods, and swim at the beach. They eat mangoes and climb trees. They ride the zipline. They search for secret tunnels in the cavernous cavern. There are no more Kings or Night Knights, and the castle is once again a welcoming mystery to explore, but the treasure is still buried deep under the waters. The Perch invites them back every time. But the most wonderful thing about all of their adventures is that they have them together.
So here we are at the end of this story, but I expect that Woggy, and his friends will have many more adventures, so I do not want to call it the end. Instead, let’s just say...
An End.