Back When We Got Lost in Dreamland
Chapters (105)
  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Epigraph
  4. Before it All Started
  5. Chapter 1
  6. Chapter 2
  7. Chapter 3
  8. Chapter 4
  9. Chapter 5
  10. Four Weeks Ago
  11. Chapter 6
  12. Chapter 7
  13. Chapter 8
  14. Chapter 9
  15. Chapter 10
  16. Chapter 11
  17. Chapter 12
  18. Chapter 13
  19. Chapter 14
  20. Now
  21. Chapter 15
  22. Chapter 16
  23. Four Weeks Ago
  24. Chapter 17
  25. Chapter 18
  26. Chapter 19
  27. Chapter 20
  28. Chapter 21
  29. Chapter 22
  30. Chapter 23
  31. Chapter 24
  32. Chapter 25
  33. Chapter 26
  34. Now
  35. Chapter 27
  36. Chapter 28
  37. Three Days Ago
  38. Chapter 29
  39. Chapter 30
  40. Chapter 31
  41. Chapter 32
  42. Chapter 33
  43. Chapter 34
  44. Chapter 35
  45. Chapter 36
  46. Chapter 37
  47. Chapter 38
  48. Chapter 39
  49. Chapter 40
  50. Chapter 41
  51. Chapter 42
  52. Chapter 43
  53. Chapter 44
  54. Chapter 45
  55. Chapter 46
  56. Chapter 47
  57. Chapter 48
  58. Chapter 49
  59. Chapter 50
  60. Chapter 51
  61. Chapter 52
  62. Chapter 53
  63. Now
  64. Chapter 54
  65. Chapter 55
  66. Chapter 56
  67. Chapter 57
  68. Chapter 58
  69. Chapter 59
  70. Chapter 60
  71. Chapter 61
  72. Chapter 62
  73. Chapter 63
  74. Chapter 64
  75. Chapter 65
  76. Chapter 66
  77. Chapter 67
  78. Chapter 68
  79. Chapter 69
  80. Two Hours Later
  81. Chapter 70
  82. Chapter 71
  83. Chapter 72
  84. Chapter 73
  85. Chapter 74
  86. Chapter 75
  87. Chapter 76
  88. Chapter 77
  89. Chapter 78
  90. Chapter 79
  91. Chapter 80
  92. Chapter 81
  93. Chapter 82
  94. Chapter 83
  95. Chapter 84
  96. Chapter 85
  97. Chapter 86
  98. Chapter 87
  99. One Week Later
  100. Chapter 88
  101. Chapter 89
  102. Acknowledgements
  103. Keep Reading …
  104. Books by Ross Welford
  105. About the Publisher

‘Are you all right, pet?’ says Mam. ‘You’ve been very quiet. You never told me about your school visit thingy.’

‘I’m okay. I’ll tell you tomorrow.’

Billy gets up and sits on the sofa close to Mam, because you get a better view of the screen. ‘He’s just tired, aren’t you, pal? Go on, off you go!’ Well, that’s strange – Billy sending me off to bed, but I’m halfway out of the door, anyway.

As soon as we’re upstairs, Seb says we should dream about killing Adolf Hitler.

‘It’ll be awethome!’ he said. ‘We’ll be the boys who assassinate a mass murderer!’ (Try saying that with no front teeth, I dare you.)

We’re at the top of the stairs. I can hear the film has finished, and the pop of a wine cork, and now Mam and Fit Billy are talking about painting the fence between our backyards and they’re laughing. (I can’t imagine what’s so funny about painting a fence.)

‘No,’ I say, firmly. ‘We’re not killing anyone, Seb. Not even in a dream. You know that.’

His face falls.

‘Think about it. Our dreams are so real, there’s hardly any difference between them and real life, yeah?’ He nods. ‘So, do you really want to know what it’s like to kill someone? Even someone like Hitler? When you’re seven? It’s horrible. It could really mess with your head.’

I’ve just used the same phrase that Susan used with me, but it’s different this time because Seb’s my little brother.

He agrees, reluctantly. Then he comes up with the idea of attacking Adolf Hitler with our Nerf guns. It’s still more ambitious than anything else we have tried. Perhaps I am getting cocky.

But it does sound fun.

Seb and I were supposed to see Dad this afternoon, but he texted earlier to say he couldn’t make it. Mam tutted and said, ‘You’d think he lived in Mexico, not Middlesbrough.’

So, when we get to our room, I FaceTime Dad on my cracked phone instead. As soon as he answers, he says, ‘Are those the dream things behind you? I’ve heard a lot about them.’

I’ve listened to Mam and Dad talking on the phone and I know that Dad thinks it’s all a bit strange. Seb, though, comes over to my bed and grabs the phone, excitedly. ‘Yes!’ he says. ‘Do you want to see them?’

‘Sure,’ says Dad.

‘Okay.’ Seb gets up, switches them on, gets even more excited and before I can stop him he says, ‘And, best of all, me and Malky can share each other’s dreams! Can’t we, Malky?’