What Dreams May Come!

Veronika looked up from the book she was reading in bed to see Billy at the door to the room where she sleeps.
"Veronika, may I come in?" Billy asked.

"Sure, Billy," Veronika replied, "you can come in, but I thought you were asleep."

"I was asleep," Billy said, climbing up on the bed with Veronika. "I had a bad dream. I don't think I dare go back to sleep again."

Veronika closed her book and patted the bed to invite Billy to sit next to her.
"Do you remember your dream, Billy?" she asked.
"Yes, I do," he replied. "That's why I'm afraid to go to sleep."

"Maybe it will help you if you tell me about your dream," Veronika suggested.

"Well," Billy began, "in the dream a monster came out of the laptop and chased me around. I ran and ran, but it kept getting closer. Then I was falling. Falling doesn't usually scare me, because I know my vinyl is sturdy, but I kept falling and never hit the floor. Then I woke up. I was afraid the monster would be hiding somewhere in the bedroom."

"You know dreams aren't real, don't you Billy?" Veronika asked. "It's just something your doll brain does when you're asleep."
"This sure seemed real," he said. "I remember it as if it really happened."
"Well," said Veronika, "dolls are made to be like people, so our brains work the same way. I read that people who study how people's brains work have been trying for a long time to understand dreams. They think there is a purpose to them, like if you are learning lots of new things during the day, you will dream a lot more at night. Maybe it's the brain's way to organize and store what it has taken in all day."

Billy thought about that. "I guess I am learning a lot now," he said. "Before I came out of my box, I dreamed, but I don't remember much of what I dreamed about, just that it was sometimes interesting and never scary."

"Dolls sleep most of the time that they are in their boxes, so they have lots of dreams," Veronika explained. "That dreaming is what dolls do to get ready for the lives they will lead when they come out of their boxes. It helps teach them how to be companions to the children they will belong to. A companion is like a friend who is always there with you, who keeps you company. We dolls do that."
"But this dream was scary," Billy said.

"It's called a nightmare," Veronika explained. "It's normal to dream. Even dogs and cats dream. Sometimes you can see their legs move as if they are chasing something or running from something."
"I have seen Freckles and Pierre do that," Billy agreed. "Does that mean they are having scary dreams? Nightmares?"

"I don't know for sure," Veronika replied. "It probably means they are dreaming, but it could be a happy dream. The people who study dreams haven't figured out what dreams are for, only that there must be some purpose for them. If there is, it seems to be something animals need, too, so they dream."
"So that means sometimes children have nightmares?" Billy asked.
"Yes, they do," Veronika said, "and because children have nightmares, we have to understand what it's like, so we can comfort them."

"Children and dolls can have nightmares," Veronika went on, "especially after something scares them, like a scary movie. Maybe something happened that scared you, Billy." Then she remembered how Billy said that the dream monster came out of the computer. "Did something on the computer scare you?" she asked.
Billy thought for a long time. Then he seemed to have an idea. "I was playing a game on the computer and having a good time in the afternoon," he said.

"A picture of a strange person came on the screen," Billy went on. "Well, it looked almost like a person, but not quite. It was like a monster person. This thing told me I had to do what it told me to do, or it would hurt me. It was never there when I played that game before." Billy shivered as he talked about it. "It really scared me!"

Veronika considered what Billy had told her.

"I think there's a good chance that your brain was working through that fright," she suggested. "There are some bad people in the world who want to use our computers to hurt us, but they can't really hurt us if we don't tell them who we are or where we live, and they can't make you do something you don't want to do."

"I think I knew that. It sure scared me, though," Billy said, clearly relieved.
"If it happens again, come and get one of us older dolls," Veronika told him. "Maybe we can fix the computer so the bad person can't get through to your game."
Billy got up. "Thanks, Veronika," he said. "I think I can go to sleep now."
"I'm glad to help," Veronika replied. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight," Billy said.

Billy went back to the bedroom where he sleeps. He looked into the closet. There was some stuff there, but no monster.

He looked under the bed. There was some stuff there, but no monster.

He checked the whole room. There was no monster anywhere. With a sigh he climbed into bed and turned out the light. "Make me do something I don't want to do! I don't think so!" he said to himself. 

Then Billy pulled on his sleep mask and went to sleep. This time he had a happy dream. In this dream he was using the computer to make his photos better. It was fun. Billy smiled in his sleep.

Cast--
Veronika: Götz Classic Kidz Vroni
Billy: Götz Happy Kidz Lily at London

You can follow The Doll's Storybook here.

Do you have questions or comments for us? Would you like to order an autographed copy of one of our books? You can email us at thedollsstorybook@icloud.com.

Note: No dolls were harmed during production of this blog. All dolls shown are Götz Happy Kidz, Classic Kidz or Little Kidz. If you like these stories and are willing, please make a donation of any amount to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital or any organization that supports pediatric cancer research and treatment. We are not affiliated with St. Jude in any way other than these donations.

“The Doll’s Storybook” is not affiliated with Gotz Dolls USA Inc. or Götz Puppenmanufaktur International GmbH.

Watch for the next story each Friday afternoon at 1:00 PM Pacific Time.

Do you like our stories? Some of them are available in print:

The stories in Mariah: Stories from The Doll’s Storybook are Being Little, Besties and Distraction.

The stories in Emil: Stories from The Doll’s Storybook are Best Buds, Getting What You Want and The Boys Cook Dinner.

The stories in Classic Tales Retold: Stories from The Doll’s Storybook are Little Green Greatcoat, The Boy Doll Who Cried Wolf and Lost in the Woods.

Our book of poems, Our Favorite Verses: Poems from The Doll’s Storybook includes Valentine's Day, Keeping Pets, Back to School, Victor the Vulture, The Week Before Christmas, Insomnia and Veronika's Vocabulary Verses.

The stories in More Classic Tales Retold: Stories from The Doll’s Storybook are Welcoming a Stranger, The Rescue, Unmasked, Fuzzy Town––A Play and Sky Blue.

Available now from BookBaby and other booksellers: Billy: Stories from The Doll’s Storybook. The Stories in Billy: Stories from The Doll’s Storybook are Talking About Boys, Changes, Shhhhh!, Staying After and Money in a Jar.

Royalties go to an organization that provides pediatric cancer research and treatment. If you don’t get free shipping from Amazon or B&N, buy from the BookBabyBookshop, because 50% of the price goes to our designated charity. Other booksellers pay much less, because the vendor gets a cut. The Writer’s author’s page at Book Baby is here. Scroll down and click on any of the books that interest you, or ask your library to get our books for you. 

Note: This blog post was produced on the iPad and the MacBook, using the iPhone for some photos and some photo processing. No other computer was used in any stage of composition or posting, and no Windows were opened, waited for, cleaned or broken. No animals or dolls were harmed during the production of this blog post.

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Copyright © 2019, 2026 by Peggy Stuart

Playing at a Distance

Billy thought Jolena looked sad. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Jolena looked up. "Hi, Billy," she said quietly. She is always glad to see him, but she didn't sound like it today. Billy thought, though, that it must have something to do with whatever was bothering her, not with him. He waited.

Jolena gave a big sigh.
"I just found out that my friend Elizabeth is moving away," she said finally. "She is on the Doll Ski Team with me, so I will see her again when we have a competition, but we won't be able to play together anymore."

"That is really sad," Billy agreed. "I'm lucky. Emil is my best friend, and he will never move away, or if he does, I'll go with him, because he's also my brother."

"It's nice to have brothers and sisters who stay with us," Jolena agreed. "I would hate to have to move away from all of you!"
"Do you at least have Elizabeth's phone number or email address?" Billy wanted to know.

"Yes," Jolena said. "I have both of those. I know I can write to her and even talk with her on the phone, but we can't play together."

"Yes, you can!" Billy exclaimed. "I mean, you can't wrestle with her or have a pillow fight with her, but you can play lots of other things with her."

Jolena looked up. "How is that possible?" she asked.
"You can have online play dates," Billy said. "You can use one of the special apps, like FaceTime or Skype," he added, pointing to where The Writer's laptop sat on a counter across the room.

"Please, Billy, show me how it works!" Jolena exclaimed.

"It's easy," Billy replied. "You call or email Elizabeth to set up a time to get together. Tell her which app you're using and make sure she knows how to use it," he explained.

"Then when the time comes, you call her using the app. It will connect to her app when she answers," he added. "Then you can play. If The Writer will let you use the iPad, you can set it up anywhere. You will see and hear her, and she will hear and see you!"

"That's a great idea!" Jolena exclaimed, looking much happier. "Now, what kinds of things could we play?"
"You're a good dancer," Billy said. "You could dance for her."
"Elizabeth is a good dancer, too," Jolena said. "We could dance for each other!"

"Great idea! Cards would be difficult," Billy went on. "You would both need a deck of cards with all the cards in the same order. I don't see how that could be done." He thought for a moment. "How about hangman?"
"I love that idea," Jolena said. "It would be easy to do. All we need is for each of us to have paper and pencil."

Jolena thought for a bit. "We have some Mad Libs," she said. "I could email her the link to the Mad Libs you can print, and we could take turns writing the words and reading the story!"

Jolena sent her friend Elizabeth an email, explaining what she wanted to do. They agreed on a time.
Jolena asked the Writer if she could use the iPad and promised to be very careful with it. Then Billy showed Jolena how to call Elizabeth using the app they had chosen to use. When he saw that she knew how to do it, and they had Elizabeth on the other end, he went to do boy things.

Jolena and Elizabeth visit online often now. One time Jolena taught Elizabeth how to make a quiche (KEESH), which is sort of an egg-and-cheese pie.

Then they cooked breaded fish in a pan.

They read a book together. The book was called "Little Women," which was the only book they both had, but it's a good book, and they enjoyed it. They took turns reading the chapters. After they finished each chapter, they talked about the story and wondered about what would happen next.

They played with the bear house that Jolena's family had. That was more difficult, because Elizabeth couldn't hold the bears or the furniture, but she told Jolena what she wanted to do with the bears and the furniture. They made up stories about what the bears were doing.

Sometimes they just talked. Elizabeth talked about her new school and new friends she was making. They talked about the school they used to go to together and the friends they both knew there. They talked about ski practice and the next competition, when they would see each other again in person.

Elizabeth's brother, Zachary, sometimes liked to say hello. He had things to talk about, too. He wanted to know about the friends he left behind.

They found out that they could do a lot of the same things they liked to do together when they could be in the same room.

They planned times when they could get together and play a couple of times a week. They were looking forward to when they could see each other for real, but they could still have fun together.
"Next time I see you for ski practice," Jolena said one day, "Let's have a pillow fight!"
Both girls giggled. They had never had a pillow fight before. It would be fun! In the meantime, they had lots of fun things they could do together, even from miles away!

Cast--
Jolena: Götz Happy Kidz Lena in Aspen
Billy: Götz Happy Kidz Lily at London
Elizabeth: Götz Happy Kidz Marie
Zachary: Zachary Jr. of Wisconsin

Can you think of any other games you could play online with a friend you can't be with? (Be sure you get your parents' permission to play with friends online.)

You can follow The Doll's Storybook here.

Do you have questions or comments for us? Would you like to order an autographed copy of one of our books? You can email us at thedollsstorybook@icloud.com.

Note: No dolls were harmed during production of this blog. All dolls shown are Götz Happy Kidz, Classic Kidz or Little Kidz. If you like these stories and are willing, please make a donation of any amount to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital or any organization that supports pediatric cancer research and treatment. We are not affiliated with St. Jude in any way other than these donations.

"The Doll's Storybook" is not affiliated with Gotz Dolls USA Inc. or Götz Puppenmanufaktur International GmbH.
Watch for the next story each Friday afternoon at 1:00 PM Pacific Time.

Mariah: Stories from The Doll's Storybook, Emil: Stories from The Doll's Storybook, Classic Tales Retold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook, Our Favorite Verses: Poems from The Doll's Storybook and More Classic Tales Untold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are available from BookBaby and other booksellers worldwide, such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble. 

Author's page on Amazon. 

Royalties (net proceeds) go to support pediatric cancer research and treatment. If you don't get free shipping elsewhere, buy from Book Baby. Half of the price goes to charity (specific information available upon request). Autographed copies of all three books are available from the author. (Multiple books to the same address have a discount on shipping.) To inquire, email thedollsstorybook@icloud.com.

<a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/blog/19832501/?claim=j3fj3mbb8kt">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

Copyright © 2020, 2025 by Peggy Stuart

Finding Your Purpose

 A few years ago,, when Bella, who lives with The Writer's granddaughter was visiting, Billy took some photos of Bella with Mandy, because they are the same doll, at least on the outside, like twins.

Billy would like to take more photos. He needed a camera of his own, one he could use all the time. He looked for one online, but he is small. The cameras he saw are all too big for him and cost more than what he had saved up. Billy had an idea. He asked for the use of a discarded phone that takes photos but can't be used to make calls anymore. He asked nicely and had good reasons for wanting the phone, so The Writer gave it to him. He can use it to take photos and send them to the computer.

The first thing he did was take photos of his dog, Freckles, on the dog bed.

Then he took photos of his sisters doing things and posing for him. He took this one of Mandy and Veronika planning a tea party.

He took this photo of Mandy and Jolena looking at a photograph album.

Because he didn't have to pay for a camera, he used his savings to buy a tripod. That's a kind of stand that will hold a camera or a phone so it doesn't jiggle when you take a photo.

Now he can take photos without holding the phone. He can even take photos of himself, like this one, using the timer on the phone. He set up the phone on the tripod and aimed the phone so that where he planned to sit was on the screen. He set the timer for ten seconds. Then he ran and climbed up on the window sill. The phone took his photo when the ten seconds were up.

He took lots and lots of photos and then sent them to the computer. Some were good and some were not so good. Sometimes he found mistakes in the photos only after he saw them on the computer. He has learned that you have to pay attention to what might be behind dolls when you take photos of them, like these cooking spoons sticking out of a jug on the bench behind Charlotte. It made him laugh, but he thought it took the attention away from his sister.

Billy has learned that you have to notice where the light is coming from, so you can see the doll whose photo you are taking. It was hard to see Mariah's face when the light came from behind her. He wanted Mariah's face to show, because she's pretty and nice to look at.

He has taught himself how to pick the best photos and how to use the computer to fix them so they look even better. 

One day, Billy asked Veronika and Mandy if he could take their picture some nice clothes. They thought it was a fun idea, so they looked through the clothes together to decide what to wear. 

Veronika and Mandy washed their faces and put on the outfits they had chosen. Then they brushed their hair. Well, they brushed Mandy's hair. Veronika's hair doesn't need much care.

When the girls were ready, Billy found a place for them to stand where there wouldn't be anything else to see, so the photo would only be about the two dolls. There were no cooking spoons sticking up. The light was good. Billy told Veronika and Mandy where to stand. 

Billy talked to the girls while he took photos. He made little jokes that made them giggle, so he could get them to smile. (It isn't easy for them to smile, you know, because their mouths don't move.)

When he decided he had taken enough photos, Billy sent them to the computer. He chose the photo he liked best and cropped it. That means he cut off some of the outside edges of the photo. He lightened up the picture a bit, so their beautiful faces were clear. He used the computer to make the edges and corners fuzzy just because he thought it was pretty that way.

While Billy was working on the photo he had chosen, Veronika climbed up to see what he was doing with the computer. "Wow, Billy!" she said, looking at the photo on the screen. "You're good at this!"

"Do you think so?" Billy asked. "I thought I was only good at using my sled and throwing a ball."

"You do many things well, Billy," Veronika pointed out. "You are fun to be with, and you listen to what other dolls are saying. You know how to put things together, how to play games and how to take turns. You can solve problems. You know how to work with other dolls, too, and you are good at being kind."

Jolena heard Billy's and Veronika's voices from the next room. She came to find out what they were doing. She climbed up to where Billy was working, so she could see the picture on the computer screen.

"Where did you find that photo, Billy?" Jolena asked.
"I took a lot of photos with the phone," he explained. "Then I sent them to the computer and looked at them. I thought this one was the best, so I fixed it to make it look even better."

"It must have taken a lot of work to learn how to do this," Jolena said.
"It isn't work," Billy replied. "It's fun!"

"Work can be fun," Veronika explained. "Just because you're doing something useful or learning how to do something that's hard, doesn't mean it can't be fun."

"That's how cooking is for me," Jolena agreed. "Cooking is useful, so you could call it work, but to me it's fun, and I'm good at it. It's my superpower. Billy, I think taking photos, choosing the best ones and making them even better is your superpower!"

"I have been worried that I would never find anything useful I could do well, but this is easy, and it's something I like to do," Billy told them. "I hope it's useful, too."

"This is useful! Now you can take photos for our stories!" exclaimed Veronika.

Billy was very still for a while. Then he took a big breath and looked up at the ceiling. Veronika thought he was trying to think how to say something very important.

"You have made me feel much better," Billy said. "When I came here, I didn't think I could be really good at anything useful. I think it's a big responsibility, being in stories that teach children about how the world works and how to be kind to each other, and how to feel good about who they are. I didn't think I would be good enough."
"Billy, you wouldn't have been called to do this if you couldn't do it," Veronika pointed out. "When you're called to do something important and good, you should trust that it's because you're the right one for the job."

"Yes," agreed Jolena. "The writer chose you because you were the right one for the stories. All of us were very carefully chosen because we were needed," she added. "It's just like when you choose the photos that work best for what you want from all the ones you've taken."

"I thought I was picked because I was a boy," Billy said.

"Well, that's true, too," Veronika agreed. "We needed a boy. All boys and girls are special, but you're the boy we needed."

That made Billy very happy. He knew his sisters were honest. They would never lie, even to make him feel better, so it must be true. He thought about that, and it made him smile.

"I have an idea," Billy said, "Let's take a group photo with all the dolls together. I can set the timer on my camera, so I can be in the photo, too." 

Billy called all his sisters to come. He arranged them on the steps, because he said it's easier to get them all in the photo if the dolls in front are lower than the dolls in back. That way, no one's face is hidden behind someone else's. Then he set up his tripod. He had to make the legs of the tripod longer, so his phone camera would be high enough to take the photo he wanted, but they are easy to adjust.

The dolls posed. Billy set the timer. Then he ran and sat down in front of his sisters. He took several photos, but not because someone blinked. (These dolls don't blink, you know, because their eyes don't close.) No, he had to take a few photos before the girls stopped being silly. He wanted them to look happy, but not silly. He checked each photo on the screen. When he was sure he had some good ones, Billy sent the photos to the computer. He chose the one he liked best. It was a photo where no one was being silly. Then he fixed it and made it even better. This is the photo Billy chose after he made it look its best.

Billy is smiling in the photo. He is happy because he has found something to do that is fun and useful. 

The next Christmas Billy got a real camera just his size, so he can take it outdoors and photograph all the beautiful things in nature.

Cast--
Billy: Götz Happy Kidz Lily at London
Mandy and Bella: Götz Happy Kidz Katie 2015
Veronika: Götz Classic Kidz Vroni
Charlotte: Götz Happy Kidz Anna in Paris
Jolena: Götz Happy Kidz Lena in Aspen
Mariah: Götz Happy Kidz Mariah, "Chosen" from My Doll Best Friend

You can follow The Doll's Storybook here.

Do you have questions or comments for us? Would you like to order an autographed copy of one of our books? You can email us at thedollsstorybook@icloud.com.

Note: No dolls were harmed during production of this blog. All dolls shown are Götz Happy Kidz, Classic Kidz or Little Kidz. If you like these stories and are willing, please make a donation of any amount to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital or any organization that supports pediatric cancer research and treatment. We are not affiliated with St. Jude in any way other than these donations.

"The Doll's Storybook" is not affiliated with Gotz Dolls USA Inc. or Götz Puppenmanufaktur International GmbH.
Watch for the next story each Friday afternoon at 1:00 PM Pacific Time.

Mariah: Stories from The Doll's Storybook, Emil: Stories from The Doll's Storybook, Classic Tales Retold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook, Our Favorite Verses: Poems from The Doll's Storybook and More Classic Tales Untold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are available from BookBaby and other booksellers worldwide, such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble. 

Author's page on Amazon. 

Royalties (net proceeds) go to support pediatric cancer research and treatment. If you don't get free shipping elsewhere, buy from Book Baby. Half of the price goes to charity (specific information available upon request). Autographed copies of all three books are available from the author. (Multiple books to the same address have a discount on shipping.) To inquire, email thedollsstorybook@icloud.com.

<a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/blog/19832501/?claim=j3fj3mbb8kt">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

Copyright © 2019, 2025 by Peggy Stuart