‘The Squashbuckler Diaries’ are the daily tales of Joy Shelley’s Life in the Dream. The ‘Lost in Dreams’ books will tell the story of what happens to her at ages 6, 9, 12, 15, and so on. The diaries tell us what happens before, after, and between the books.

#146: Playing with the Sword, Part 2: What Really Happened?

Dragon Father was on his knees, deep in pain, hand over his bleeding eye. Dragon Little was kneeling over him, crazed with worry, not knowing what to do. She had just accidentally sliced one of his eyes, as she played on the deck of Bonny’s Revenge with his sword. 

Dragon Father breathed in and out, his breathing getting less erratic. He was calming down. 

“It’s all right,” he said more calmly. “I don’t think it’s as bad as we thought.” 

There was a pool of blood underneath him and my sharp dragon’s eyes clearly saw that she had taken out his eye. 

He slowly removed his hand from his face. Dragon Little looked at it, worried. 

His wound was slowly disappearing. His eye was slowly restoring itself. He was a dreamer, after all. Unlike Dragon Little, it was not his actual physical body here in the dream. 

I have seen this a few times before. Dreamers can only be hurt if they believe they are hurt. If they are hurt too much, they wake up. But if they stay, they can somehow feel better, and the wounds disappear. Of course, Dragon Father and Dragon Little did not know that, although I suspect they were beginning to. 

“What?” Dragon Little looked at his eye.

He blinked a few times. “It’s all right. Just a small cut.”

“I cut. Your . Eye!”

Dragon Father stood up. “I’m all good now. But, see, I told you. Next time, something really bad could happen.” 

Dragon Little looked at him. She turned around and began to cry. Sobbing uncontrollably, she ran towards her cabin and jumped on her cot. 

“Joy! Joy!” 

Dragon Father took a deep breath. By now there was no sign of a wound at all. 

What happened in the cabin… Well, that ist something neither of them expected. I’m afraid my worn soul ist weary for today and doesn’t have the ability to speak of the harsh events that happened afterwards. I will tell that story tomorrow.

—Told by The Red Dragon

Watch what’s behind this post:

#147: Playing with the Sword, Part 3: Superdad

#145: Playing with the Sword, Part 1