Bedtime

"Am I married this time?"

"Um... YES!" Luke decided trimphantly, "married to the greatest and kindest and most powerful-lest king in the whole, wide world." He stretched his arms out wide and little Tracy gasped gently in awe. Her bright eyes turned to her bigger brother.

"And I have a kingdom?"

"You have the biggest kingdom."

"And do I have a horsey?"

"You have a million horseys." Tracey's eyes were beaming with wonder.

"Tell me more! Tell me more!" She began boucing up and down in her bed, and after many requests and much persistence, Luke continued.

"Okay, but you have to promise to go to bed after this." Tracey hesitated for a moment.

"...okay." Her older brother gave her a suspicious look of disbelief. "Okay! I'll go to bed! But tell the story first, pleeeease!"

"Alright then. It all starts with a strong and powerful king," he raised his arms victoriously as he mentioned the king, " and the most cleverest and prettiest lady in all the kingdom, his wife." Tracey clapped her hands with glee.

"That's me! That's me! I'm the Queen!"

"We follow the kingdom's bravest knight through a terrible battle," Luke narrated. As he spoke, Tracey listened. As he moved, she watched. Every different character, every wild event lead them through the tough and testing story of the brave knight who fought for his kingdom. She ooh'ed and ahh'ed at the amazing feats the knight had to undergo. She cried in terror when he entered a glorious fray with a monstrous, fire-breathing dragon, and she laughed hysterically with every silly voice her brother put on. She listened in almost complete silence, only ever interrupting when the Queen gave an order.

"-and then the Queen rose from her throne with such elegance and power that it sent chills down the criminal's spine, and she made an order to her guards-"

Tracey stood up on her bed vigorously and pointed at nothing in particular with such authority that she nearly sent herself toppling down.

"GUARDS! TAKE THIS FOUL VILLIAN TO THE DIRTIEST CELL YOU CAN FIND!!!"

He continued as they travelled vast distances, meeting various characters and, eventually, defeating the enemy. And as the story came to an end, with Luke's voice dwindling down so as to not stir his dozing sister, he raised the covers to her chin, turned off the lamp, and let the story play on in her dreams.