THE MAGIC CARPET

Southland Times, Issue 23182, 24 April 1937, Page 3 (Supplement)

THE MAGIC CARPET

—VERY HIGHLY COMMENDED— One night Beth was sitting in the window seat feeling very lonely. “I wish I had something to do,” she sighed. “What would you like to do,” said a voice from down by her feet. Beth looked down in astonishment to see —the carpet with a face, talking to her! “I’d like to go to Sleepy-town to see the sand-man,” she said, and immediately she felt herself lifted up, up, up, into the dark sky. Up, up she went, past the clouds and the stars, higher, higher they went till at last they stopped. As she stepped off the carpet, Beth looked curiously round her. People were hurrying past to reach home before the sand-man could overtake them, for if he did, they would immediately fall asleep.

As he passed Beth, he said to her, “Come with me and you can give dreams to the children if you wish,” so off they went. To little babies they gave dreams about kisses and cuddles. To naughty children they gave no dream at all. Sometimes when they came to a house they would find a child still wide-awake and then the sand man would look angry and throw extra sand into that child’s eyes, and march off quickly as if anxious to get away. At last they were finished, and the sand-man said. “It’s your turn now,” and Beth felt herself drifting off to sleep. Next, she found herself back on the window seat. When she told her mother of her dream, her mother said, “Nonsense, child, you must have been asleep.” But Beth is still sure she was not asleep. —3 marks to Cousin Betty Grace (11), 233 Spey street