Another night and another bad dream for Jimmy. That makes it four nights in a row now that poor Jimmy has been woken up by a nightmare. After hearing his son's screams from down the hall, Jimmy's dad raced to comfort his son. "It's okay Jimmy. It's only a dream." "But there's a ghost in my room." Jimmy's Dad turned the lights on. "See, there was no ghost. It was all in your mind." Jimmy rubbed his eyes before looking around the room. "Thanks Dad."

"Is everything okay Jimmy? Are you not feeling well? Everything okay at school?" "I'm fine." "Try to get back to sleep. Tomorrow night you have a very important soccer game." "I'll try." "Oh, and I'll let you in a little secret of mine. When I was your age I was terrified of spiders. To help me deal with my nightmares I created a character called Papa Moe." "G.I. Joe?" "No, Papa Moe. Whenever you feel like you're going to have a nightmare, just say 'Papa Moe' and he'll be there to help you." "Works for me. Goodnight Dad."

After a full day of school, chores, homework and an intense soccer game, Jimmy was ready for a good night's sleep. Even though he was physically tired, he could feel his heart starting to race. He put on his earphones and listened to the BlueJays game on the radio hoping it would settle him down. It worked. He soon found himself wandering in a dark tunnel barely lit by the lantern he was carrying. "Where am I?" Jimmy asked aloud. It was pitch black and eerily silent in the tunnel. In the distance he could hear a slight rattling sound.

Jimmy thought about turning around but where would he go? He was lost. Maybe there was nothing to that rattling noise. Probably just the wind he thought. Jimmy continued down the dark tunnel as his lantern began flickering before it was extinguished. Jimmy fumbled with some matches as he tried to relight the lantern. He lifted the lantern up to get a better look at his surroundings only to find himself face-to-face with a giant rattlesnake. With his legs trembling and his palms sweating, Jimmy somehow managed to call out for Papa Moe.

An elderly man dressed in ragged clothing appeared before Jimmy. He was short and stocky and carried a spear for protection. This was the famous Papa Moe? "What are you looking at kid?" "I thought you'd be tall and muscular, you know like Thor." "Sorry to disappoint. Now let me do my thing." Papa Moe ordered the massive rattlesnake to get lost. "Sssssory" the snake uttered before slithering away. "Thanks Papa Moe!" "Who sent you?" "My Dad, Lester Nash." "Lester? Hmm, oh that Lester! Yeah, I remember him."

1975

"Your father was deathly afraid of spiders when he was your age." "How did you help him?" Jimmy inquired. "I was able to drive them away for as long as I could. Eventually your Dad got older and stopped fearing spiders. I think his nightmares had something to do with his parents' divorce. He took it really hard. Is there anything bothering you Jimmy?" "No. I'm fine." "I hope so. You can't go on living this way. If you're having problems in your life, you can't run away and hide. They'll always find you."  "Thanks Papa Moe. Papa Moe? Now where'd he go?" When Jimmy opened his eyes it was morning.

Jimmy had been playing soccer since he was 5 years old but never really enjoyed it. But he wanted to make his Dad happy so he stuck with it. Jimmy also wasn't very athletic. The other kids were bigger, stronger, and faster, and would run circles around him. His Dad would often yell at Jimmy from the sidelines as he grew frustrated by his son's constant mistakes and lack of talent. During the game, Jimmy accidentally kicked the ball into his own net costing his team the game. His teammates all gave him dirty looks. Meanwhile his Dad was furious with his clumsy son.

YOURS TO DISCOVER

On the way home, neither Jimmy or his Dad said a word. Jimmy just stared out the window while his father seethed and kept shaking his head. Jimmy had lots of interests but sports weren't one of them. He loved to write, read, and draw but his Dad wanted him to be an athlete like he was. When they got home Jimmy ran straight upstairs and put on his pajamas. He didn't bother to brush his teeth or even take a shower. He wanted the day to end as soon as possible. Exhausted from all the tension with his dad, Jimmy fell asleep the second his head hit the pillow.

Within seconds, Jimmy found himself trapped  in yet another nightmare. He was floating in the middle of the ocean on a rickety old raft surrounded by a school of man-eating sharks. Jimmy had been afraid of sharks ever since his parents let him stay up late one night to watch JAWS. "Papa Moe!" Jimmy cried out. And like a bolt of lightning, Papa Moe arrived to save Jimmy from his fears once again. "Thanks Papa Moe." "Are you sure there's not anything you want to talk to me about?" "Nah, I'm good. I think I'm going to get out of bed and grab a glass of water." An exasperated Papa Moe stood and watched until Jimmy had left his sight.