Chapter 1: Lillian

Five night angels were standing in front of the King of Nomoni. It had been a long night with such a lot of joy pillows and sweet dream cushions to give out. Their dark glossy feathers were looking a little dusty now but they fluffed them out for roll call. The king’s son called out their names all at once before any of them nodded off to sleep. The king might just have been a bit annoyed at that.

 “Dark Angels – Dusk, Twilight, Starlight, Moonbeam and Midnight, are you all here?”

 A chorus of sleepy voices muttered, “Here!” but Dusk held out a scroll of paper and added, “We did the report you asked for about Lillian. Here it is. Do you mind if we go to sleep now?”

 The King saw there was no point in answering this as all the night angels fell into a yawning feathery heap in front of him. His son covered them with a downy sleep blanket and then opened the scroll: it was what they had been waiting for.

Just then, a lot of Mevali hounds streamed in for breakfast. If you love dogs you will know that a hound is a sort of hunting dog but these hounds are very special and only hunt happiness and chase away bad dreams. They are called M hounds for short and they call the King MH1, and his son, MH2.

Mevalis live in the land of Nomoni which means No More Nightmares—you can find it somewhere between dreaming and waking………..

……..As well as Nomoni, the king worried about the world that lay just below them. A lot of unhappy children lived there who had very scary dreams. Some M hounds had gone out on missions to help them. By day they were their friends but at night the M hounds led the unhappy ones, through their dreams, to the Gemma Garden—a safe and beautiful place where nothing bad ever enters. Now the king saw it was time to choose someone in the world to care for the M hounds born there. MH2 suggested a young woman called Lillian and the King agreed……..

 ……….I wonder if you can imagine what the Mevalis look like. Think of that lovely land of Nomoni where everyone spends a lot of time making sweet dreams. Can you see the Dark Night Angels that give out the pillows and cushions at night? Maybe tomorrow you can draw a picture of them or of the M hounds. As you go to sleep imagine the Gemma Garden and perhaps you will find that safe place before you wake in the morning. Take a joy pillow with you.