The Naughty Step

"Alright sweethearts, one bedtime story, then it's bedibyes time," their grandmother insisted, as she tucked the youngest girls in immediately after supper, "and be quiet, darlings, your Mummy's sleeping."

"Oh, Naaaan, I'm missing-"

Grandmother tut-tutted, the eldest Arthur was always the loudest to protest, but usually the first to fold, "Now, Art, I don't want any arguments," she whispered, "tomorrow you can stay up, watch it on your ... whatever it's called."

"iPlayer, Nan," Art grinned. Nan wasn't good with technical terminology, despite her computer maintenance course. Still, he admitted, she was a whizz repairing the old PC that Dad promised to fix but never did. She'd even upgraded its OS, RAM and video card to run the latest games. Brilliant was Nan, but knew nothing about tuning TVs or the DVD. Perhaps she'll do a course next year; she did several at once: keeping her brain working, she said.

"Which story, Nana?" the youngest Jessica, freshly tucked in, asked.

"I have a new one about fierce dragons, naughty knights and sweet princesses, shall I tell it?"

"Pleeease," they chorused, including Art; age nine isn't too old for a bedtime story.

So Nan sat on Jessie's bed, with Art on Frances's, and began.

"Once upon a time there was a Witch and Sorcerer who were sometimes disguised as Dragons. Nearby was a palace where lived a beautiful baby Princess."

The girls giggled, only one sentence in and they already had a witch, sorcerer, dragons and a princess. This was good.

Nan continued, "But the King went away-"

"To war?" Art suggested.

"Probably, but it doesn't matter why he left," Nan continued, "leaving the Queen and Princess alone at home."

"Did they miss him?" Fanny, the middle girl asked.

"The Princess missed him terribly," said Nan, "But the Queen and Sorcerer were very naughty. And what happens when you're naughty?"

Nan looked at each child in turn, while they looked at each other. Jessie spoke first, her lower lip trembling.

"You have to sit on the naughty step, Nana?" Jessie ventured.

"Exactly," agreed Nan, "and if you are still naughty?"

"Off to bed with you," the children chorused in harmony, getting into the game, "with no supper!"

"Shh!" Nan quietly hushed them in case they disturbed their Mummy, "But what if they were still bad?"

This was new territory for the children. They looked wide eyed and nervous. The naughty step was the furthest they'd ever gone; nobody risked missing supper.

"Well," Nan continued after a pause, "The Witch was very angry. She turned herself into a fire-breathing Dragon and burned down the Palace."

"Wha-what about the ... Princess?" Fanny asked.

"The Witch flew in on her broomstick and rescued her!" announced Nan.

"Hooray!"

"Shh" Nan put a finger over her mouth, "Mummy's sedated."

"Wha-what's 'said hated'?" asked Jessie.

"The Doctor gave Mummy something to make her sleep. Now, do you want to hear more of this story?"

They all nodded. Jessie's eyes were half asleep, she really preferred cats to dragons; Fanny's eyes, however, were full of princesses in pink dresses; Art's brimmed over with fire and battles.

"The Witch couldn't stay by the ruined palace, she flew back to Dragon Country and adopted the Princess as if she was her own daughter."

"An' they lived happily ever after?" asked Fanny.

"They were very happy, but it couldn't be for ever. Years later, a handsome Knight came, thinking he was rescuing the Princess from the Dragon."

"Was there a battle?" hoped Art.

"Well, the Dragon could see the Princess light up when she saw the handsome Knight, her lovely eyes dancing with delight. The Dragon loved the Princess deeply, but knew it was time to give her up. The Dragon thought it best to put on an act. So the Dragon and Knight battled it out in front of the Dragon's Lair."

Art grinned, and made sweeping sword moves with his hand.

"Then the Dragon pretended to be beaten and flew away." Nan continued, "The Knight took the lovely Princess to his castle and in time they had three lovely children."

"A boy an' two girls, Nana?" asked Fanny, hopefully.

"Of course," Nan smiled, "a handsome young prince and two of the prettiest baby princesses you ever saw."

Jessie grinned, sleepily snuggled down in her duvet with her Teddy, "That was a lovely story, Nana."

"It's not quite finished," Nan said brightly, regaining their attention.

"The Witch kept watch over her adopted daughter and baby grandchildren from a distance, and noticed the Knight was being naughty with ... a courtesan..."

"Wha's a 'cutey-sand', Nana?" Jessie tried to get her tongue around the unfamiliar word.

"Some common tart working in the Castle offices." Nan said, "So she lured the Knight to her lair, made him sit on the naughty step. But he laughed, said it was none of her business, he'd do as he pleased, so she turned back into a Dragon and burned him to a crisp."

"Gosh!" exclaimed Art, the two girls open mouthed. "I suppose he deserved it."

"And then they all lived Happily Ever After!" Nan concluded.

"Yay!"

"Shh!" warned Nan, "Mummy's asleep, she's had a shock."

Nan kissed the girls on the foreheads and turned out the light.

"Nighty, night, Nana," the girls said.

"Don't let the bedbugs bite," replied Nan as the girls giggled.

"We're not stupid, Nan," Art said, as he reached his bedroom, "Mummy told me she was adopted and couldn't remember her father or step-father. Didn't we have McDonald's to celebrate you finishing top of Advanced Electrician class last year? Dad was working late then of course, as usual. Mummy said Dad was helping you install new plugs after work. We're not going to see Dad again, are we?"

"Oh dear, sweetheart, you've caught me out. What do you want to do?"

"You have to sit on the naughty step, Nan."

"But I have been very, very naughty."

"Then off to bed," the grinning girls chorused from the doorway, "with no supper!"

The end.