The hardest part of the plan, of course, was that Pete had to sneak out of the house in the dark and paddle across to the mainland in the darkness of the night. He had never sailed at night before.
\nHe waited breathlessly for his parents to fall asleep. Around 11 in the evening he could hear the steady sound of snoozing from the room next door, so he got out of bed and crept downstairs as quietly as he could.
\nBut the front door was locked, and the key was nowhere to be found. Pete went to the back terrace door and gently pushed the handle. The door opened with a sharp creak: Pete listened anxiously to see if his mum and dad had woken up to the noise, but fortunately he heard nothing suspicious.
\nHe rushed to the boat frantically: he had to hurry to get to Giovanni before the dream thief did.
\nHe later described this mission to his friends as the scariest experience of his life. It was like a nightmare: the pitch black, the roar of the sea, the suspicious rocking of the boat. But Pete was not the one to be scared away from achieving his goals.” “\u201cHide under my bed and he won’t see you. I will close my eyes and pretend to sleep\u201d said Giovanni, after Pete had managed to sneak up to his room unnoticed. \u201cAnd if I do fall asleep… sorry in advance, but wake me when the thief comes!\u201d
\nIt seemed like an eternity that Pete had been waiting under the bed, and Giovanni’s breathing told him that he had fallen asleep.
\nBut suddenly the window opened softly, and two feet appeared before Pete’s eyes. The dream thief stepped softly to Giovanni’s bedside without making a noise. He murmured something to himself very quietly.
\n\u201cTo banish? Me? That\u2019s a joke. If you at least knew who you were dealing with, but you don’t! Arrogant folks, so full of themselves. Manono, yeah right. Magic Island, blah, blah, blah\u201d leaning close to Giovanni in a scary way. \u201cWell, well, let\u2019s see what\u2019s in that silly head of yours, child. What a smell, wow, my mouth is watering…! Ah, an oven… pasta\u2026 tomatoes…. You don’t dream about yesterday’s lessons at night either!\u201d” “\u201cGot you!\u201d Pete shouted, and with the same momentum, he jumped out from under the bed and turned on the lights.
\nIn an instant the room was bathed in light, even Giovanni woke up to it.
\nWhat surprised them the most was that there was absolutely nothing special about the dream thief. Maybe just one thing.
\n\u201cWow! I thought you were a boy!\u201d Pete said, as that was his very first reaction. The dream thief turned into a pillar of salt. Giovanni sat up on the bed.
\n\u201cDid you know that I just started dreaming about a giant cheese pizza? And you wanted to steal this awesome dream! Shame on you!\u201d
\nThe dream thief had been exposed. The old woman stood there in her tattered clothes, looking even more frightened than the boys. She was not used to being caught. Confused, she mumbled:
\n\u201cWhy should I be a boy?\u201d
\n\u201cI don’t know\u201d said Pete. \u201cStealing dreams is such a boy’s job\u201d.
\nThe old woman stared at Pete with exhausted eyes for a few seconds, then burst out laughing. Her whole body was shaking, the boys could even see into her toothless mouth. ” “Suddenly the door opened: Giovanni’s mum was also woken up by the huge commotion. She had seen many things in her life, but she was not prepared for this sight. Believe me, you’ve never seen a more stunned mum than this one.
\n\u201cPolice! Honey, call the police! There is a strange woman in Giovanni’s room!\u201d She shouted to Giovanni\u2019s father, who had also woken up. But Pete, who knew that it would be over now, stepped in.
\n\u201cDon’t call the police, I’ll take care of her. I’m taking this lady back to where she came from, where they will decide her fate\u201d.
\nHe had no choice: he had to tell Giovanni\u2019s parents all about the mission, Manono, and the dream thief. He also told them what the shaman had advised. With the dream thief scared to death.
\n\u201cThat’s a rather unbelievable story, Pete,\u201d said Giovanni’s father finally. \u201cAnd you want to take this woman back to Manono in your boat, alone, in the middle of the night? I don’t think it’s a good idea\u201d.
\nBut Pete convinced them that it was not only a good idea, it was the only solution.” “The boat glided soundlessly across the water. The dream thief didn\u2019t say a word. Pete mustered all his courage.
\n\u201cWhat is your name? I’m sure your real name is not Dream Thief\u201d.
\n\u201cWhat business is it of yours what my name is?\u201d
\n\u201cJust curious. It’s at least another twenty minutes until we get to the island; though we can be quiet for all I care. You’ll talk to the shaman anyway\u201d.
\nThe dream thief hesitated.
\n\u201cMy name is Imelda. But we won’t get to the island. The shaman has cast a protective spell around the shores, in case you didn’t know. Your boat will stop and then we will be stuck. You will stay here with me. But at least you know my name now,\u201d she chuckled.
\nAt that moment, the boat really did seem to get stuck on something. Pete knew that there was nothing there, as he had done this trip a thousand times before, yet his paddles were useless: an invisible wall stood in his way.
\n\u201cHang on, little boy, because in a minute, the dolphins will be here, and they’ll tip us overboard and into the sea. I’ve run into this a few times. How predictable this shaman is!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":1134,"template":"","class_list":["post-1136","story","type-story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n