Theo the Time-Traveling Bear

Theo was a small honey-colored bear with the softest fur you have ever felt and a clockwork pocket-watch sewn carefully onto his fuzzy chest. The watch had been a gift from his grandmother, who knew about secret magical things. Every night, when the big grandfather clock in the hallway struck exactly eight, the little pocket-watch on Theo's chest would begin to glow a warm golden color — and Theo, along with his very best friend Captain Whiskers (a brave gray cat who always wore a tiny pirate hat), would travel through time. Sometimes they visited the age of dinosaurs. Sometimes they sailed with friendly pirates. Tonight, the watch had something new in mind.

Page 1 of 5

When the clock struck eight, the watch glowed brighter than ever, and in a whoosh of gold and silver sparkles, Theo and Captain Whiskers found themselves in a snowy castle courtyard, long, long ago. Tiny snowflakes drifted lazily down through the cold air, and the whole castle was decorated with banners and torches. "Where are we?" whispered Theo. Captain Whiskers sniffed the snowy air with his pink nose. "Somewhere old," he whispered back, "and somewhere quiet — listen." From the castle's great hall, they could hear faint snoring, deep and rumbling, like a tiny thunderstorm asleep.

Page 2 of 5

They tiptoed across the frozen drawbridge — Theo on his soft fuzzy paws, Captain Whiskers on his quiet velvet ones — and peeked into the great hall. There, in the very center of the room, slept the most splendid dragon Theo had ever seen. Her scales shimmered like a thousand sunsets, and every time she breathed out, tiny puffs of warm pink smoke curled up toward the ceiling. "Don't wake her," whispered a small knight, no bigger than Theo himself, tiptoeing up beside them. The little knight wore armor that looked far too big and a friendly, slightly nervous smile.

Page 3 of 5

"She's our friend," the small knight whispered as they tiptoed past the dragon together. "She watches over the whole castle while everyone else sleeps. But she gets so tired during the day that we promised we'd never make a single sound in the great hall after eight o'clock." Theo nodded very seriously, and Captain Whiskers placed one paw over his mouth to show he understood. The three of them crept past the dragon's great curling tail, around her massive resting head, and into a tiny door behind the throne — a door so small that only very small adventurers could fit through.

Page 4 of 5

Behind the tiny door was a small cozy room with a fire crackling in a fireplace and three little chairs all in a row. There the small knight gave Theo a single silver coin from a wooden chest. "This is a thank-you," the knight said, "for being so quiet, and for helping us protect our dragon's rest." Theo held the coin carefully in his fuzzy paw — it was warm and smooth, with a little dragon engraved on one side. The pocket-watch on his chest began to glow gold again. With one last hug for the small knight, Theo and Captain Whiskers found themselves back in their cozy bedroom, the clock just chiming eight one more time. Theo tucked the silver coin under his pillow, curled up close to Captain Whiskers, and drifted off to sleep, already dreaming of tomorrow's adventure.

Page 5 of 5