When I had met Dragon Little, Dragon Father made sure she changed her clothes before going to sleep and wear a pajama with pictures of unicorns on it.
In the times that Dragon Father would disappear into his waking world before Dragon Little went to sleep, it was Mary’s job to help Dragon Little change her clothes before going to sleep.
But when Mary died, when Joy was two and a half years old, that changed.
When Dragon Father would disappear too early, sometimes Dragon Little would change into her pajamas and sometimes she wouldn’t.
And then came the incident of the Pajama Monster.
Dragon Little, sleeping in her pajamas, woke up before Dragon Father appeared. She woke up with a start, which almost never happened.
She ran outside her cabin and looked over the railing of Bonny’s Revenge.
The ocean was calm and there was no land in sight.
She ran to the other side of the railing. Then she gasped at something she saw, then ran to the weapons cabinet.
As she pulled out her sword and laser pistol, I tried to see what she had seen. But my sharp dragon eyes, which are better than her human eyes, saw nothing move, no creature or monster or living being.
Dragon Little ran back to the railing. She gasped again, ducked, and ran back to her cabin.
Still, I saw nothing. I have never seen Dragon Little see something I have not seen. Nor have I ever seen her run away from anything in fear.
And yet, she was afraid.
A few minutes later, she peeked quickly, then hid again.
And then, with an almost inaudible ‘pop’ noise, Dragon Father appeared on the deck.
Dragon Little ran to him as fast as she could and slammed into his body, hugging him.
“Dad dad dad dad dad! I saw a monster!”
“What? Huh? Joy, what’s happening?”
“A monster, a scary monster over there!”
Dragon Father took Dragon Little in his arms and calmly walked over to the railing. “Let’s see okay?”
He looked around, and, like me, saw nothing. “Where is it, Joy!”
“It was over there, it was over there, it was over there!”
“A monster over there in the ocean?”
She nodded.
“I don’t see anything? Are you sure you saw it?”
She nodded vigorously.
He smiled. “Joy. I think you had a nightmare.”
At this, I stood up in my hiding place. A nightmare?!
Dragon Father would have no way of knowing, but I knew very well Dragon Little’s true nature.
Dragon Little did not dream. Dragon Little could not dream. She could not have had a nightmare. It was impossible for her.
“What’s a nightmare?” she said. And I remembered a time, a few months ago, when she asked Mary the same question .
Dragon Father answered in a tone that was clearly meant to calm her down, “It’s not real. It’s just a story our mind tells us when it’s asleep.”
“Really?” her face scrunched up, trying to understand.
I began to pace back and forth in my hiding place.
No, not really. No, my sweet Dragon Little does not dream. She cannot dream! What was happening?!
I am becoming worked up again. Tomorrow I will tell you what happened next.
—Told by The Red Dragon