Bedtime Stories

"Okay, Sammy," Dean yawned as he turned off the black and white television. "Lights out. Dad will be back soon and you should have been asleep by now."

The blue glow of the neon sign proclaiming “Vacancies” cast a green light through the yellowed curtains. It would have been a perfect night light, except for the shadows of the motel patrons passing by, each one more menacing than the last.

"Will you tell me a story? The story about the prince? The one m where the good guys win?" The seven year old pleaded.

The worried furrow of Sam’s brow was impossible to ignore. Dean slid beneath the over starched comforter and pulled his little brother into the crook of his arm.

"Once upon a time there was a little prince. He was cute. And he was smart and quick. And he was very, very snuggle-y.

"He was loved by everyone in the kingdom and his smiles made them all happy. Until the Tragedy. When the prince was just a baby the queen was fighting off an evil sorcerer that wanted to take the happy prince away from his kingdom. But she kept the baby safe and so the sorcerer set the castle on fire. The good king and his knight saved the baby prince and disappeared into the night on a black stallion.

"The knight always stayed with the prince, protecting him from the monsters of the realm. And the prince has promised that one day, when the prince is big enough, he will go with his knight and fight the evil sorcerer."

"But," Sam turned in the bed to face his big brother. "Will we win, De?"

"Of course, Sammy," Dean smiled. "You think your knight is gonna let you do anything that’ll get you hurt?"

But the only answer Dean got was the soft snoring of his brother.

"G’night, Sammy," Dean whispered into the quiet room.