“Craig go upstairs to bed” she said as she said every night at seven o’clock. We had a well worked routine me and mummy: she’d send me to bed and then she’d turn on a red light which was mummy’s night light, just like the one I had in my room. The strange thing was mummy wouldn’t go to sleep when hers was turned on, instead, she stayed up playing games – must have been my trucks or something for them to have that much fun – they would always be screaming until they got tired of their games and mummy’s friend would leave.

“O.k. mummy…..” I said

“Good boy”

“…..if you read me a story”

“O.k. a short one”

“Thank you” I said rising about two octaves between the thank and the you.

“If you can beat me too your bed” This was the strange thing about mummy she always challenged me and she always lost.

“Mummy, I always beat you” I answered smugly 

“Not tonight” She said and ran. She was half way up the stairs before I could even react.

“I’m catching up to you mum” She tripped.

“Oh no I think I’ve broken my leg” I could never understand why she smiled when she said that, I learnt when I went to school that braking your leg hurts and it took six months to recover from, but mummy would recover from it in about ten seconds.

Mummy was beautiful, she had brown hair which fell down to her shoulders and covered part of her face which was like nothing I’d ever seen before or would ever see again, she was slim and she said this was good for her job when I asked her how she managed to look so beautiful, I think now this is how the first man must of felt when he gazed upon a rainbow.

“Ha, beat you mummy” I laughed as I jumped into bed and pulled the duvet up to my chin to keep out the cold.

“It’s not your mummy” I winced as I knew what was coming.

“Mummy don’t do it” I said without any mock fright, I was terrified.

“It’s the tickle monster” She ran through the door then and tickled my belly, my neck and my toes.

“So what do you say to the tickle monster?”

“I’m sorry I beat mummy” I said smiling.

“So” Mummy said “What story would you like”

“The night garden”

“What do you say?”

“Please”

“Good boy”

That night I only fell asleep at eleven o’clock. Grown ups are strange. You see everynight the man would scream,

“I’m coming, I’m coming”

Then he would leave.