Into the Land of Nightmares

By Andrew Connan

Fun fantasy adventure for kids 7 - 12. Sam may be a Flash Traveler with extraordinary sidekicks – Randolph Coyote the Third, a humongous talking coyote, and Bobbie Bear, an android disguised as a teddy bear – but he’s still an ordinary boy. So, when he learns his mother is so sick she might be dying, and the only way to save her is to travel into a nightmare tornado that sucks the life out of everything, he is truly terrified. What’s a scared Flash Traveler to do? Gather his sidekicks and his fledgling courage and fly through a flash to the Land of Nightmares. There our daring trio must pass through the Great Stone Beast without being swallowed and digested, and help Ichabod Kathumpata Thump, a camel afraid to face his own nightmares. Finally, Sam must confront the even more frightful Snake Sorceress to learn how to save his mother. Will Sam find the secret to facing his nightmares? What talisman will he bring home to his mother? Will she recover? Open this latest Flash Travelers adventure to find out.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Andrew Connan
• Release date: May 16, 2022
• ISBN: 9781736355213

Book preview

Chapter 1 Nightmares

On Monday night Sam dreamt that he stood in his backyard on a sunny day, looking at his mother’s rose garden, its flowers plump and healthy in the warm sunshine.

Storm clouds gathered, and a cold, evil wind assaulted the roses. An ugly, misshapen tornado slithered toward the garden. Sam recoiled from its foul odor of decay and disease. Its powerful wind carried a spinning mass of voracious, infectious cockroaches and flies. The tornado attacked one of the rose bushes. It sucked the life out of the plant and left it brown, withered, and lifeless.

As Sam watched the devastation he realized that there was a snake beside him, also watching.

The snake’s head, wider than a grown man’s shoulders, rested on its mighty coils. Its knowing ruby eyes glowed soft red and its golden scales glittered as it floated just inches off the ground.

What does this mean? Sam asked the snake in a squeaky, panicky voice. In his heart, though, Sam knew what it meant.

The snake radiated calm and remained silent. The snake’s silence and stillness unnerved Sam so much he blurted out the answer he hoped for, Mom will have trouble with her rose garden, right? Aphids maybe?

At the sound of Sam’s obvious, pathetic effort to deceive himself the snake became angry. It remained the same size but changed into a terrifying dull brown rattlesnake. It sprang at Sam, mouth opened wide and fangs dripping deadly venom.

Sam quailed and fled the dream. When he reached the midway point between asleep and awake he distinctly heard the sound of an unknown woman laughing. He knew she laughed at him.

Randolph Coyote the Third, with Bobbie Bear at his side, had been sleeping, or at least trying to sleep, on Sam’s bed.

Dude, that must have been some bad nightmare. You were rockin’ and rollin. What’s the deal? Randolph said as Sam untangled himself from his twisted sheets.

I dreamt of a tornado made of cockroaches and flies that sucked the life out of one of my mom’s rose bushes, and a magical snake with ruby eyes and golden scales.

What do you think the meaning of the dream might be? Bobbie Bear asked.

I don’t know.

Maybe your mom is being attacked? Bobbie Bear said. Maybe she is sick?

Don’t be silly. She’s my mom. She’s fine. She’ll always be fine. It was just a goofy dream. It probably doesn’t mean anything.

Randolph asked, You think maybe the snake is attacking your mom?

No, no, the snake didn’t do any attacking, except at the very end when it sort of attacked me, maybe. I haven’t figured out that part yet.

Bobbie Bear said, Sam, it is 3:08 AM. You need your sleep.

Sam nodded in agreement, and slipped back into sleep. If he dreamt at all he couldn’t remember it, and his mother woke him, as usual, at 6:30AM.

During the morning rush he watched his mom. Sam, finish your breakfast, Sam, gather your books. Sam, don’t forget your homework. Sam, hurry or you’ll miss the bus.

Same ol’ mom. No change at all.

On the way to the bus he took a quick detour and checked out the rose garden. All twenty plants looked fine, lined up like soldiers on parade.

That night, Tuesday night, the tornado and snake visited Sam’s dreams again.

Sam and the snake watched as the cockroach and fly infested tornado devoured Sam’s mom’s rose garden, all twenty plants, and then the entire house.

Sam wanted to ask the snake what dreadful omen this might be, but when he turned to the snake he saw that its eyes glowed terrifying furnace red, and its golden scales, now golden razor blades, rippled with menace along the length of its body. Sam fled to the wreckage of his house only to find it invaded by angry, venomous snakes that kept him trapped in one spot. The big golden snake reared high up on its coils, opened its mouth wide, and struck straight down in an effort to swallow Sam headfirst. Sam could think of only one way to keep from being eaten, so he staggered up and out of sleep. Once again he heard the woman laughing at him.

Man, that’s like two nights in a row with that snake dude. What gives, kemosabe? Randolph said.

Sam said wearily, Randolph, please stop watching old surfer movies on television.

Aw no, man, they are like totally awesome! Randolph replied.

Bobbie Bear asked, Did you get a chance to ask the snake what the dreams meant?

No, I wanted to, but it was too scary. It tried to eat me whole, so I had to get out of there in a big rush, but I think I know. It’s about my mother, and it’s not good news.

Wednesday night brought the most fear, but also the most information.

In his dream he watched helplessly as the tornado destroyed his mom’s rose garden, their house, the neighbor’s house, and the entire town. Everywhere the tornado went it brought complete destruction. Sam ran after the tornado. The golden snake slithered along beside him. Its golden scales had turned into hundreds of whining chain saws and its eyes now sent out blasts of deadly red flame.

Sam forced himself to go from terrified to angry. He found a baseball bat on the ground, picked it up and hit the snake on the nose as hard as he could. The blow produced a hollow Clang!

"What do the dreams mean!" Sam shouted at the snake and struck it again with the bat.

The specter of the cyclone menaces your mother, the snake replied calmly. Though she seems in good health now, she is very sick, and her death will destroy your world.

What should I do? Sam asked.

To save your mother you must journey to the Land of Dreams and destroy your nightmare, the cockroach and fly infested tornado, the snake stated.

"I could never defeat that tornado! I’m