The Land of Nod - YSM2023

The night was still and tepid, only a gentle breeze wafted through the open window, meandering to tenderly caress Lilibet’s rosy cheek as she slept serenely. After a short while, she was disturbed from her slumber; half awake, Lilibet tossed and turned, outstretching her arm, her limp hand hung over the edge of the bed. Not a minute had passed, Lilibet felt the heaviness of her hand disappear, buoying magically. Her fingers suddenly felt cold and wet. Startled, she promptly sat upright, a little annoyed at having been awaken so rudely.

At first she noticed that it was no longer night-time, but brilliantly sunny. She turned, and marvelled at the most unusual sight… water, water all around! Lilibet was still in her bed, which was now floating on the most beautiful crystalline blue ocean she had ever seen. The waters were calm, but like a carillon, the bed rotated ever so slowly, giving her a 360° vista of her surroundings.

The reverential silence was abruptly broken by a splish and then a splash; then clicks and whistles. Out of the water sprang a lithe dolphin that arched over Lilibet’s head. She reached up and her hand stroked its white underbelly as it flew by and returned to the sea. The creature then resurfaced and gently nudged the bed, pushing it with purpose and direction. Lilibet looking towards the horizon, noticed a white hump in the sea. Closer still, trees came into view.

A short time later, the bed settled on a wide beach. Lilibet clambered off the bed and saw that the sand, albeit white, shimmered with all the colours of rainbow. She couldn’t help but dive into the pillowy dunes, however, the sensation was not that of sand, but more velvety. She stood up, spread-out her arms and saw herself covered in the glistening sand… she looked and felt like an angel.

In the distance, the beach ended at a treeline, whence came a recognizable figure; a butler shuffling along… perhaps not. A little bit closer and all was revealed – a majestic emperor penguin, resplendent in his black, white and orange regalia. Now face to face, he loomed tall over Lilibet.

Bowing gracefully, “My dearest Lilibet, we’ve been expecting you.”

She was not frightened, and the absurdity of the situation hadn’t dawned on her – her natural curiosity made this situation perfectly normal for a seven-year-old girl.

“Hello, I’m very pleased to meet you.” she announced imperially.

The regal bird bowed again, “My name is Nod and this is my island, the Land of Nod. You are most welcome, Milady.” He continued, “You look hungry, would you care to join us for a banquet prepared in your honour.”

Lilibet blushed, bashfully twisting her toe in the sand, “Well, yes, I’m famished… thank you for asking.”

Nod turned and pointed with his flipper to the trees, “Most excellent, Lilibet, please walk with me.”

She had no qualms in following him and together they hastened to the feast. Through the arboretum of palm trees, a glade appeared, nicely curated and festooned with a majestic table, multi-coloured balloons and streamers. Standing around it were some of her dream-world friends waiting anxiously; she couldn’t wait to finally meet them in person.

Nod introduced them to Lilibet. There was Squeaky, a proud pelican with a broken beak; Nod said, “She had flown into the side of an oil tanker that had inconsiderately crossed her path, and now could no longer squawk.”

“Next to her, Sluggy, a shell-less sea turtle”; Nod whispered, “It’s quite sad, he is now only a shell of his former self and very shy, too.”

At the other end of the table, Nod nodded towards an albino panda, “That’s Snowball, she was abandoned by a zoo for not being the right colour; humans can be so cruel.”

Finally, Nod held out his flipper and gently patted a hornless baby black rhino, “This is Tonka, he was the victim of evil poachers; without his horn he will never be able to defend himself.” Tears rolled down the cheeks of Lilibet, Nod and all the misfit animals.

“Enough of this gloominess! I thought we were here to eat and make merry with Lilibet.” Nod exhorted. “This little girl is the reason we exist, her unconditional love for all of us is what turns this realm into reality… now let’s feast!”.

Lilibet gawked at the repast on the table as Nod went through the menu,

“I hope you will find all your favourite foods, Lilibet. We prepared butter and sugar sandwiches; I believe you like to roll them up like a roly-poly. I heard from Squeaky that you also adore chocolate and cream, so here is the most glorious profiterole cake, lavished with heavenly whipped cream.” Nod, concluded, “To wash it all down, I personally made the sweetest pink lemonade you will ever taste. Do you approve?”

Lilibet, flabbergasted and lost for words, her mouth drooled as she nodded profusely to Nod. She was even more surprised when she noticed something about the sugared bread that looked familiar.

“That’s right” Nod anticipated, “The sugar comes from the very beach you landed on. This whole island is made of charmed sugar.”

Lilibet devoured everything and delighted at the pink lemonade that, silk-like, shimmered iridescently in the sunlight. All her friends joined in the festivities and the earlier frowns turned to beaming smiles in this most genial of gatherings.

Time was meaningless in the Land of Nod, so Lilibet knew not how long she had been there. However, she did begin to feel sleepy and couldn’t stop her unceremonious yawns. Nod knew the party was coming to an end,

“Well, young lady, I think it’s time for you to return to your Land of Slumber. We are eternally grateful to you for your gentleness, compassion and warmth. May your innocence be eternal; you remain forever in our hearts.”

Nod accompanied Lilibet from whence they had come. She hugged him and slipped back into her bed as Nod made his final salutation,

“We will miss you, dear Lilibet, but I’m sure we will see you again, and next time, maybe you can bring along with you someone special. Bobby, the blind dolphin you met earlier, will guide you back home. Don't worry, he doesn't need to see to know the way.” Nod, in a ship-like manner, smoothly launched the bed into the sea and Bobby carefully directed Lilibet back home.

“Honey, darling… Lilibet! Wake up, you’ll be late for school.” It was her mother beckoning.

Lilibet woke all excited, washed and dressed in record time. Her haste was not for going to school, but to recount her adventure to her grandmother. As customary, Granny Smith was waiting in the kitchen to hug Lilibet before she left for school.

“Nanna… granny… I just had the bestest adventure ever…”

Granny gently put her finger on Lilibet’s lips,

“Hush, sweetie - I know, I know. We will talk when you are back from school.”

Lilibet, stomped her foot in frustration, but granny knew how to appease her,

“Lilibet, tell me, is Nod keeping well… I miss him so much.”

Granny winked, smiled and kissed Lilibet on the forehead.

The End

a reply to: Encia22

For a moment, I thought this was going to be about Noddy hot-rodding in his jalopy through Toyland

Nice story. Nice dream.

Cheers

a reply to: Encia22

A good read. I like how you end it and how descriptive it is. A really good story!




(You have mail btw..)

Thanks!
blend

a reply to: F2d5thCavv2

LOL, 2d5thCavv2, the thought crossed my mind.

Was it really a dream? Even having conjured the idea, I'm in two minds.

a reply to: blend57

Cheers, Blend, I appreciate the feedback.



Mail back at you...

a reply to: Encia22

Riveting...captivating...imaginative...just beautiful ! You took me back to those long-ago days of innocence when magic was real and anything was possible if you but believed!

You really should be writing and publishing children's books, Encia!

a reply to: Encia22

Nice job!!!!!! Very descriptive!

a reply to: nugget1

Aww, that's a beautiful compliment, nugget1, I'm as speechless as Lilibet. I felt the same whilst writing it, I just tapped into my childhood. However, the true motivation came from the life of a young person that is with us no more...



Publishing? I don't know how good I could do this consistently, and I'd have to tone down on the vocabulary... maybe once I'm an OAP.

a reply to: JJproductions

Cheers, JJ! Thank you. I had to keep on reminding myself that it's a short story, otherwise it probably would have gone on, and on, and on...

a reply to: Encia22

No need to confine yourself to being a prolific author; just one book - this book - would enrich the lives of many.

I'd urge you to get an illustrator and self-publish! I'd buy it in a heartbeat. Barring that, I'd love your permission to print this out for my grandchildren!...and adult children....

a reply to: nugget1

By all means, I'm touched and honoured that you think it worthy and appropriate for your family's enjoyment.

Again, your support and encouragement has opened up new possibilities. Unfortunately, my life is full of strife, and I need to blow off some steam, empty the closet of skeletons and dust away the cobwebs in my mind to be able to dedicate time to such an endeavour.

But, I'll keep on jotting down ideas and build a portfolio of material for later use.

a reply to: Encia22

Unfortunately, my life is full of strife

That makes me sad..... I hate it when life gets in the way of living in our 'happy place'. Many good thoughts coming your way!

Thank you for granting me permission to share; I'm honored.

a reply to: nugget1

Thank you, your words are like an elixir, already they have brightened my day.

*Hugs of gratitude*

Now that I think about it, my most profound stories have come to me during the darkest days. Maybe too much healing will temper my thoughts... I'll leave just a bit of suffering on the side just in case of writer's block.

a reply to: Encia22

Now that I think about it, my most profound stories have come to me during the darkest days. Maybe too much healing will temper my thoughts... I'll leave just a bit of suffering on the side just in case of writer's block.

Makes a great deal of sense to me. I heard writing in times of trouble were good for the soul, so wrote songs and poetry for much of my adult life.

I no longer have access to those places of inspiration, and I must say I do miss them. I have, however, learned to channel that energy in other directions with somewhat satisfactory results.

a reply to: nugget1

Absolutely! It's exactly that; directing negative energy to create something positive. I'm still undecided as to which is is more powerful... good or evil.

That is beautiful, nugget1, a really lovely piece of art. The beauty of doing such things is that they not only provide a personal release, but also last to spread the love to others. I guess negativity is more self-centered, yet the hurt can still spread and affect others.

It's a strange world, and we are even stranger creatures.

a reply to: Encia22

I don't know what changed or why; I just know they did and I felt the 'shift' as it gradually happened. Maybe I just 'grew up' or outgrew the old me?
Anyway, thank you for the compliment; I'm glad you liked it.

a reply to: nugget1

Amazing art!!!

a reply to: nugget1

You really should be writing and publishing children's books, Encia!

My thoughts exactly, I was reminded of, "where the wild things are"but much gentler, and I really liked granny's paranormal twist at the end.

originally posted by: Terpene
a reply to: nugget1

You really should be writing and publishing children's books, Encia!

My thoughts exactly, I was reminded of, "where the wild things are"but much gentler, and I really liked granny's paranormal twist at the end.

That was my favorite part; it reminded me of the secret bond between my granddaughter and I. She's 17, in her last year of high school, applying for colleges and has a boy friend. This story will nudge my memory and comfort me with its nostalgia when that inevitable comes knocking on my door.