Introduction

All good stories start with, “Once upon a time,” but not this one. Because this isn’t from long ago, it is set in the world of right now. But it’s not our daytime world. This is our night world, our dream world, the place we all go to renew ourselves for the next day.

For children, Dreamworld is pink-tinged, the colour of candy floss. Populated by unicorns, musical monkeys, dancing dogs, people with magical abilities and much much more. Some of those in this world can turn water into orange juice or they bake cakes so light you need to put stones on top of the cake tins so they don’t fly away. 

Some people are fairy-like, able to flit, dive and sky dance, others swim deep in the sea.  There is always time to play, to pick the pretty flowers, talk to the trees (which talk back) or sit by a stream as it tumbles over mossy stones on its way to the river and the ocean.

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This is the place children go in their dreams. It has no other purpose but to give them respite from the real world; away from any family squabbles, school bullies and fickle friends. At night, children can reset, have fun, play, explore and be ready to face the next day calm and confident.

Night after night, children enter

Dreamworld  to wander forest paths, 

play in the streams, visit the towns and 

make new  friends – four legged, 

two legged, some with eight, 

or even more legs.

Among the children who visit this world are 

Quinn and her younger sister Melinda. But, 

even in this world, there is trouble brewing.

Chapter 1

Melinda and Quinn live with their mum and dad and younger brother Johan in a small town in the cloud-covered mountains and forests of the far south of the South Island. They go to school, play with friends, and hang out with their parents. But at night, Quinn and Melinda visit Dreamworld. Sometimes they see or play with each other in that fairytale place, sometimes, they don’t.

The friends they make are forever friends – always happy to see them, include them in their games and point out new and unusual things. Their Dreamworld friends also help Quinn and Melinda uncover their own special talents.

The girls are almost perfectly normal in the day time, but they can draw on the magic of their friends to help shape their adventures in Dreamworld. Quinn’s special talent allows her to understand the feelings and thoughts of animals. Melinda has discovered that she has healing hands and, if she’s careful, she can mend a broken bone, and ease pain.

Chapter 2

Tonight, as Quinn and Melinda got ready for bed, they talked about what they would do in Dreamworld that night.  “I’m meeting up with Darkstalker and we are going to visit Pegasus Pete,” Quinn said.

“I’m hanging out with Phoebe Phoenix and we are going to practise flying and how to treat burns. It is amazing how many times your friend Darkstalker manages to singe someone when he’s lighting a campfire with his breath,” replied Melinda.

“Do you want to come over to see Pete with us when you’re done?” asked Quinn.

“Sure, we can do the burns treatment first and use the flight to Pete’s to practise some aerobatics – we want to be able to do a roll without me falling off,” answered Melinda.

“Oh, there’s a trick to that! Darkstalker lets me use a long leather strap to tie myself to him when we fly – we can get one for you too if you want,” said Quinn.

“That’s great – I’ll have to go without

 it today, but if it’s anything

 like our other practise rolls, I’ll fall 

off and Phoebe will have to dive 

down to rescue me before I hit the

 ground. A strap is probably just

 what I need, even if it's just something 

to hold on to – feathers are 

so slippery,” Melinda responded.

The two kids brushed their teeth, 

jumped  into bed and were asleep 

a short time later.

Chapter 3

Dreamworld was waiting and the girls found themselves with their friends.

Darkstalker seemed impatient to get going – he enjoyed seeing Pegasus Pete. Pete was indeed the flying horse Pegasus, but he called himself Pegasus Pete because he was a pirate. A pirate commander in fact, with 13 ships under his control.

Darkstalker, who had been a bit of a pirate himself in the past, enjoyed hearing Pete plan pirate raids and talk about all the plunder he would take from various ships and ports. Quinn climbed up on the leg that Darkstalker held out for her. He flipped her up onto his back and leapt into the air, flying toward the mountains.

Melinda meanwhile, found herself walking toward Phoebe Phoenix’s huge ‘nest’ home on the outskirts of the little faerie village of Fantastique.

She broke into a run as she approached the pile of sticks, branches and mosses that Phoebe had woven into a very comfortable sleeping and eating place.

“Phoebe, are you here? Are you ready for our training?” she called.

Phoebe’s beautiful golden head of feathers popped up over the edge of the nest and she peered down at Melinda.

“Is that the time already? I was having such a lovely snooze in the sun.”

“It is a gorgeous day isn’t it?” said Melinda. “Hey, you wanna go see Pete a bit later? Quinn and Darkstalker are making a flying visit.”

.

Phoebe was keen, so the two walked together back down the hill and through the village, saying hi to some of their friends as they passed. Melinda got the bandages and creams out of her backpack and the two settled down beside a stream to practise wrapping the arms, legs and torsos of the various creatures that came by to ask what they were doing. They all felt that it was a good idea to be ready for those occasions when Darkstalker was a bit off the mark with his streams of fire.

The practise was interrupted by games

and songs and flitting faeries who kept

bringing tiny treats for Melinda and

Phoebe to try. Sweet cakes for Melinda, 

and giant insect tarts and fish pies for Phoebe.

By lunchtime, they were ready for a 

change of scenery and some fun. Phoebe

ducked her long neck and Melinda scrambled 

up and onto her back for the flight through 

the mountains to Pete’s place.

Chapter 4

Quinn and Darkstalker dove down through the clouds, skimming over the top of a snowy mountain, then plunging down its steep slopes to reach the gorge and river at its base. Darkstalker’s huge wings powered through the air, as he twisted and swooped, enjoying the thrill of flight. 

Quinn clung to the leather strap wrapped around the dragon’s middle, shouting out her excitement at the wild ride.  “Yaaaaaah, this is so much fun!” she yelled down to Darkstalker’s ear. “Faster please, if you can!”

Darkstalker laughed, tucked his wings into his sides, stretched his neck out as far as it would go, and pointed his nose to the earth. They scorched down the side of a mountain at eye-watering speed. The ground got closer and closer and the tree tops looked very sharp and pointy to Quinn.

“OK,” she giggled, “That’s probably as fast as we should go and maybe, you should pull up now.”

Her dark-armoured friend smiled to himself. 

They were in no real danger, and the two 

of them did enjoy a bit of speed.

“So, we’ll go over to Pete’s now?” he asked.

Quinn leaned forward and rubbed her 

hand along  the heavy scales that 

protected his neck and shoulders, 

feeling his happiness and joy in his 

own strength.

“Yes, let's go,” she said.

Chapter 5

 Quinn, Darkstalker and Pegasus Pete were lolling around on the soft grass beside a noisy little stream that ran alongside Pete’s one-room, very large, wooden home when Melinda and Phoebe arrived.

They flew overhead with Melinda waving a wild greeting. Phoebe swooped around in a wide circle before touching down, grabbing at the ground with her enormous taloned feet.

Melinda slid down and ran over to the others, with Phoebe stomping behind her, golden tail feathers trailing. For a bird, Phoebe had about as much grace on the ground as a walrus.

‘Hi, got any sandwiches, I’m starving,” asked Melinda, eyeing up the picnic basket in front of Quinn.

Her sister handed her a slab of bread and a piece of cheese, “All that’s left, sorry,” she said.

They chatted for a while about nothing in particular until Quinn’s ears perked up when Phoebe mentioned a couple of NightMares that had been spotted in Dreamworld.

“Of course, a few sneak through from the other side

 of the Dream Wall occasionally to give us all a bit 

of a fright. But word is, there’s a lot more than just 

one or two wandering around.” said Phoebe.

“That’s not good,” Quinn was worried. NightMares 

can’t hurt sleeping children, but even in Dreamworld, 

they can be quite scary.

“How are they getting in?” asked 

Melinda. 

No one knew apparently,

so the group decided to do a flyover 

of the Dream Wall. 

The wall runs along the edge of a

high cliff that  separates 

Dreamworld from the 

Dark Desert, where NightMares

and other scary things exist.