Not Enough Pillows

This is my children's story :) My friend is illustrating it. Maybe you'll be able to buy it in a shop soonish...

Bunch, pat, poke and fluff! No matter how Laralee squished her only pillow, it just wasn’t right. She did NOT have enough pillows to help her sleep tonight. After wrestling with her blankets, trying to make them round, Laralee gave up and put on a frown. Slowly rumbling, tumbling around, she knocked her pillow under her bed. Stretching, reaching and squirming, she fell underneath. Fell and fell going down, down, down, she wondered where she would land until…

Plop! She found herself in a very big cave on top of an even bigger pile of pillows. Big ones, small ones, striped, spotted and paisley, she had never seen so many pillows in her life! “I wonder who is the lucky person that has all these lovely pillows? Surely they would not mind if I just took a couple.” Laralee grabbed two beautiful pillows, one purple like the sunset and another as white and fluffy as her kitty named Cloud.

Laralee climbed down the mountain and when she reached the bottom, she saw a glowing silver path winding in-between hills and mountains of more pillows than she had ever dreamed of. “Since this is the only path, it must lead home!” Laralee said aloud into the dim light.

Laralee suddenly found herself surrounded by guards and each one of them wore armor made of pillows. One was pink from head to toe, one was red, another was blue, and another green, but each and every one of them looked very, very mean. “Arrest that girl! She’s a thief, stealing from the prince!” The guards took away Laralee’s pillows, one purple and one white and dragged her off into the night.

After walking for what seemed like forever, the guards brought her in front of Prince James. He was just a little bit older than Laralee and definitely in charge. The guards told him how they caught the little girl stealing his precious pillows. Laralee spoke up, “I did not know they belonged to you, I just could not sleep and only took two…” “Silence!” yelled the prince, “You must be punished!” Laralee began to cry and told Prince James how she had fallen from under her bed.

The prince was very curious and asked her all about her home and friends in the land above. “I live in a big house with my dad and my cat, Cloud. I have a bunch of friends and we like to play games.” The prince asked Laralee what kind of games she played and if she would teach him some. “In the Land of Pillows,” Prince James said, “there is a lot of sleep and naps and stories, but not so many games and I get lonely and bored.” Laralee agreed to teach the prince as many games as she knew and followed him to his back yard. Laralee taught him how to play Hopscotch and Tag, she taught him how to play Rock, Paper Scissors and Ring Around The Rosey. They had so much fun that even the guards played with them!

At the end of the night Prince James had so much fun that he told Laralee that if she played King of the Mountain with him, she could go home and have as many pillows as she wants. The guards took Laralee and the prince to the big mountain of pillows that she had fallen on when she first got there. “I have always wanted to play, but I never knew how. If I win this game then I will finally be a King and a prince no more,” said Prince James. In no time at all Prince James was on top of the mountain, throwing pillows down at everyone and no-one else could touch him. Laralee looked up at prince and bowed beautifully, “You win. I now declare you King of the Mountain and King James of the land of pillows!”

After all those games, Laralee was very tired and she yawned and yawned; “May I please go home now, King James? I am sleepy and I do not want my daddy to worry about me.” James gave Laralee a big hug and told her, “If you ever want to come play games with me again, you are welcome to visit any time you like.”

Laralee made a very soft bed on her two favorite pillows. One was as purple as the sunset; and the other was white and fluffy, just like her cat, Cloud. Soon she fell up into a very peaceful sleep.

As Laralee woke up and rubbed the sleepy from her eyes, she remembered a land of pillows, many-colored guards and a prince who is now a King. “It must have all been a dream.” she thought to herself. When Laralee hopped out of bed, she was surprised to her pillows on the floor, one purple and one white, with her kitty, Cloud sleeping right on top. It must not have been a dream after-all!