Høst & Søn, 2000

Extract from The Dream Key
Author's comments

The same thing happens every evening.
As soon as Michael closes his eyes,
scary pictures swarm into his head.

Michael doesn't open his eyes again until Hugo nudges him. Then he notices that they have landed in front of a large door.
"What next?" asks Michael anxiously.
"Knock on the door," says Hugo.
Instantly the door is flung open.
"What do you want?" yells the troll, so loud that Michael is sure he will die of fright.
But Hugo whispers, "Say you want the key."
But Michael's teeth are chattering and his legs are shaking so much that his knees knock against each other.
"Come on now, it's YOUR Dream-Key!"
Michael takes a deep breath and shouts, "Give me the key!"
All three of the troll's heads grin scornfully. The largest says, "Oh, so you want your key again, little friend. Yes, yes - and I suppose you also want to free the Queen of Dreams…."
The troll laughs boisterously.
"But you will only get the key when you

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bring the Singing Conch, ha, ha, ha!"
And with that, the troll slams the door shut.
"There, you can see for yourself," says Michael, "I'll never go to sleep again."
"Nonsense," says Hugo, "take a tight hold of my ears and close your eyes."