This is StoryQuest. Today's story is...

The Dream Machine by Jacob.

With a tremendous... roar, a serpent rose out of the crashing waves.

As tall as a skyscraper and as angry as a very hungry giant sea serpent,

he slithered into the salty sea towards the little girl clinging to the deck of a sinking

ship. But that bit of the story is coming up in a bit. It all starts with a wizard. So let's meet him.

Mischief Mogradon was a wizard who lived in Atlantia, a rather lovely fairy tale sort of place.

He ran a library of antiquity, which basically means he collected old things, books and candlesticks and strange machines from the time when the elves had set up magical workshops many centuries ago.

People could borrow these precious items and return them after a set amount of time.

Most people thought he was a bit strange in his dusty brown gown and long white beard.

In fact, some parents told their children to stay away from him altogether. Even for a magical realm, he was just, well, a bit too weird.

Araigale wasn't told to stay away from mischief because, well, to put it simply, she didn't have any parents.

She lived with a grumpy uncle in a run-down cottage on the

tattie side of the village. It won't be a surprise to hear that she was picked on by the other

kids because she'd never had new clothes and was so poor and whenever she wanted to join in

their games, they would laugh at her and call her names and chase her away brandishing sticks

to poke her with. As our story starts,

she's running away again, being called names again with the girls in pursuit. Where could she hide?

They were gaining on her. She darted through a small alley and found herself in the quiet, winding,

cobbly roads in a part of town she'd never been in before.

The voices could still be heard, and she desperately looked around.

Most of the shops were shut, but one door was ajar.

...