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                                              A BEDTIME STORY

      "So, children, do you want to hear a bedtime story?", grandpa asked his grandchildren. "Yes, we do!", the children said in sync, while tuckered in bed. "Alright", started the grandfather...

      "Once upon a time there was a little boy who lived in a town near a big forest, his name was Mark. Mark was very cheerful, optimistic and nice. One day he met a little girl. The girl's name was Ann. She was more mischievous than Mark. She liked to pull pranks on people, while Mark wanted to be friends with everybody. They got around their differences eventually and became friends. Mark soon discovered that Ann had a cute bunny called Angel. She loved Angel so much that she could talk about him for hours. While they were having fun, suddenly, an echo of roars and revs came from the forest. They heard the noises and went outside to check it out. Turns out that it was a bunch of bulldozers picking up trees. Or, well, what was left of them. They saw a small squirrel just looking sadly at the trees. Mark picked him up and finally realised what was going on. They decided that they will take the squirrel home. Suddenly, a bear attacked the bulldozers. The people inside the bulldozers got out of their machines and started running for their lives. After the attack, the bear grunted and sat on the ground. He spotted Mark and Ann and went to attack them until he saw a squirrel and a bunny. He concluded that they probably meant no harm. The children wanted to help him, so they began to pet him. The bear was surprised at first, but he soon gave in. They all became very good companions very quickly. A few days after they went on a little trip. "There's a nice clearing, right there!",  Mark said as he was looking through his binoculars. They all started playing in the clearing. Mark was laughing and running, Ann was trying to make a handstand, Angel just watched, the squirrel was eating nuts and the bear was dancing. After a little while, they were tired, so the went to a nearby cottage to rest. Suddenly, rain started pouring down. They stayed in the cottage for a little while but then began to feel bored. They wanted to explore the cottage a little, so they went upstairs into the attic. In the attic, they found a chest full of costumes and a map. They all wanted to dress up in something, so Mark dressed up as a dragon, Ann dressed up as a native American, Angel dressed up as a knight with a shovel, the squirrel became a superhero, while the bear became a pirate. They looked at the map and saw a castle as the final destination. Then they saw that the rain has stopped. The map seemed very cool and they thought that exploring a castle would be fun. So they left the cottage and started going to the castle. Little did they know that the castle was home to a mad scientist. The mad scientist loved experimenting with the weather. That rain was a failed experiment of his, it did not last very long and it was very weak. He wanted storm clouds that could paint the sky grey and rain that would cause eternal misery. Right now he was very angry at his failed experiment. He asked himself if he should quit, but he concluded he will move on. Meanwhile, our heroes were on their way to the castle. They had to pass through the woods and follow the train track just to get to the castle. While it was a long walk, it was worth it. The castle was old but classy. It truly did seem as if some king was living there. After they went in, they looked around. They saw some chairs, a big table and a throne. They started playing and exploring the castle. The scientist was mad but not deaf, so he heard some footsteps and laughs. It is just that they echoed so loud it sounded like a dragon was walking and roaring. The voices were not recognizable, so he thought it was someone he did not know. He started packing his bags until he heard the footsteps coming closer to the room he was in. When he checked around him, he saw a shadow of a monster. "AHHHH!" he screamed in terror and fear and started running towards a secret exit. He opened the exit and as soon as he was out he bolted into the woods. The children heard a scream and wondered where it came from. The children came into the room the scientist was in. But they were all stacked on each other because they started exploring the library a few minutes ago. "Hey, our shadow looks like a dragon!", exclaimed Ann. "Maybe you should get down Ann?", asked Mark. "Why?!", Ann stubbornly said. "Because I am sure that the bear's back hurts.'', the bear replied with a grunt. "Fine.", said Ann exhaling. Who did they hear and why did they scream? After thinking for a while the children just shrugged it off. After they exited the castle, they all went to their homes and dreamed of the adventures they had. Some say that the scientist is still in fear of the monster that attacked him. But who knows? Grandpa finished the story and looked at his grandchildren. They were asleep.

    He sneaked out of their room and went to his work table. He took out a book from the shelf that was near his work table. It was a photo album. The album contained pictures of a young boy, a girl and three animal companions. He looked at them and smiled. ''I will remember you forever.'', he said to himself. After that, he went to sleep.