The Dream Train

The train slipped over the sleeping meadow and beside the silver river. Badger tiptoed into the otters’ den with their swimming dream. He opened the parcel gently above their heads. At once, five sleepy otters paddled their paws. Splish, splash!

“Swim well,” Badger whispered. The three hares twitched their noses at snowflakes only they could see. The early bird cheeped softly over a dream of extra worms. The old tortoise dreamed of being young and quick.

“All done,” Badger sighed. But when he turned around… One parcel sat on the very back shelf. There was no name, no address, nothing at all…

Badger turned the strange parcel over and back again. From inside came a tiny hum, like a lullaby through a wall. “Somebody, somewhere, is missing their dream,” said Badger. “And the Dream Train always delivers.”

Toooo-woooo, the search began! “Perhaps it is a flying dream?” Badger thought. But the eagle flew all day, so at night he was dreaming of standing perfectly still. “Perhaps it is a feast dream?” Badger wondered.

But the bear was already dreaming of honey. The fox was already dreaming of being sneaky. The five frogs dreamed of rain together in a choir. Every den was full, every nest was cozy, and every animal was fast asleep.

Every one… except… Badger stood very still on the quiet platform. The parcel matched the engine and his cap exactly. “Oh,” Badger breathed, “oh my.”

Badger had tucked in the whole valley, but never himself. The parcel was for the only one still awake. Him. “But I cannot sleep. Who would drive the train?” The lanterns flickered all by themselves.

Moonlight pooled on the driver’s seat like someone sitting down. “I will,” said the moon, “I have watched you do it a thousand times.” Badger’s wide eyes softened into a slow smile. “Mind the bend by the river,” Badger said, and the moon smiled, “I know.”

Badger walked all the way to the little bed he had never used. He climbed into the little bed and pulled the blanket to his chin. Outside, the wheels began their soft shhh-tk, shhh-tk, shhh-tk. Badger held the blue parcel close, and very gently…

He opened it. Warm starlight rose from the paper. In Badger’s dream, a little train ran through the sky with every window glowing. Below, every creature in the valley was safe and warm and dreaming.

One small badger slept while the moon drove carefully around the river bend. Badger breathed the happiest sigh of his whole long life. And for the first time ever, the dream deliverer dreamed. Most nights, Badger still drives with his cap on straight.

But once in a while, a blue parcel with gold stars waits on the back shelf… On those nights, the moon takes the wheel. Then the whole world gets to sleep, even you. Shhh-tk, shhh-tk, shhhhhh…