Alistair stood at the top of his bed, one foot planted firmly on the mattress. He held up three fingers. "I have three more things before I sleep," he declared. The plastic T-Rex on the rug let out a soft squeak, as if agreeing.
Alistair hopped down and marched to his desk, where he opened a notebook and began reading off his impossible list. Lewis rubbed his eyes and tried to keep them open, leaning against the doorframe.
On the third and final request, Alistair pointed at the rocket nightlight. "It's not actually pointing at the stars," he announced. "It's a secret teleporter that could carry me to Mars." Lewis blinked, opened his mouth to say no.
Then he noticed the nightlight flicker. Just once. As if it had heard him.
Alistair froze. His eyes went wide as the rocket ship nightlight began to pulse with a warm golden light. Then the bedroom door swung open on its own.
A faint hum filled the room. From somewhere beyond the doorway came the sound of distant wind — and something that might have been a T-Rex roaring.
Lewis stared at the open door, then at Alistair. He sat down on the edge of the bed with a long sigh that sounded exactly like a balloon deflating.
Alistair climbed back into bed and pulled the covers to his chin. "Maybe I'll just dream about Mars tonight," he whispered.
The nightlight pulsed softly — once, twice — like it was saying goodnight.
The door clicked shut. And somewhere, very far away, a T-Rex roared.