A Story For My Son
"Daddy, can you tell me a story?"
"It's late kiddo. You need to sleep."
"But, I can't sleep."
"Next time, don't stay up so late."
"Please, Dad? I promise I'll go to sleep right after."
"...Oh, alright. Only because you're the best little man in Manhattan!"
"Thanks!"
"OK, OK. What story could I tell you? The Three Little Bears?"
"You did that last week!"
"Beauty and the Beast?"
"Three days ago!"
"The Boy Who Moved a Moon?"
"Dad..."
"How about the Brave Little Spartan?"
"Dad!"
"What, tough crowd! OK, I have one...how about the...Knight and the Princess."
"I haven't heard that one."
"Hah ha! That's because your Dad's the best storyteller there is!"
"Once upon a time, not too long ago, there was once a brave knight that was born in a place known as York. He was a regular boy who worked hard and loved his parents very much. When the boy was a teenager, his parents died, and he had to work on his own."
"That's sad! I thought this was a happy story!"
"Just hang on, I'm getting there! Anyway, the boy was told to fight by the king. The boy loved his country and thought that he was doing a great thing. He wanted the king to like the boy. So, the boy trained. He worked harder than any day he had worked before. Soon, they sent him to a far away land. Something incredible happened."
"What? What happened?"
"The boy became a man."
"Wow!"
"It gets better. He was known as a knight."
"Awesome!"
"Yeah, I know! The knight got to work for the king. The king liked the knight. They were kind of like friends! One day, the knight and the king were on a ship. A storm came up and washed them into another kingdom. The king from THAT kingdom helped them out, but the knight fell in love with the other king's daughter."
"Eww!"
"Hear me out, boy! The knight knew that he had little chance in gaining the princess' love, but he was willing to give it a shot! When a horrible foe attacked that kingdom, the knight rallied the troops! Got friends to help him, and they defended the kingdom."
"What kingdom was it, Dad?"
"Eh, what?"
"What kingdom?"
"Uh...Mobyus."
"Isn't that where Mom-"
"Well, as you can imagine, the king of that country was grateful, but none was as grateful as the princess. She knew that the knight would put anything on the line for his friends and protect her. She knew she could look after herself, but it felt nice to know someone cared. So, the princess and the knight got married. They had a beautiful son, and lived happily ever after. Was that a good story?"
"Yes!"
"Are you going to go to sleep now?"
"Aww...Do I have to?"
"You promised!"
"Oh...OK."
"Don't worry. Tomorrow, I'll tell you about the Inventor and His Flying Machine!"
"OK Dad! Thank you for the story!"
"Any time."
"Hey Dad, were the knight and the princess real?"
"Hmm...I'm pretty sure they were, kid. No promises though."
"OK."
"Charles Olgilvie Vennettilli, I will see you in the morning."
"'Night Dad. Can you close the windows? I don't want the skycars to wake me up."
"You got it."
"What story was it tonight, sweetheart?"
"The Princess and the Knight."
"Are you just pulling tales from recent memory, Christopher?"
"No. You know me, Sally, I have a good imagination."
"What time is it?"
"11:42."
"No word when our leave is over?"
"Not a word."
"Well, you know that drill. Make every day count. How is the Inventor and his Flying Machine?"
"Tornado's in the shop again. Miles says that he wants to re-calibrate the Slipspace drives on it again. Says that it'll put circles around anything ONI can produce."
"Too much talk, Captain. Come on. Let's lie down for a little while."
"Whatever you say, Princess."
"Aw, aren't you just a knight in shining armor?"
"I try, Sal. My son needs someone to look up to."