Dream and Nightmare

Once again darkness fell over the sleepy village of Marsden on the Wick and Heidi Granger settled down to sleep in her large pink bed, beneath a fluffy pink duvet. A gentle, contended smile drew on her face as she curled an arm around her ragdoll, Lucy, and fluttered into a deep sleep. But in the silence of Heidi's bedroom a nightly battle raged.
With a silent slash Nightmare tore a hole into the real world and climbed into Heidi's bedroom, whilst Dream, with a pop and a puff appeared alongside her.
They both peered over Heidi's face.
"Whadda ya reckon?" said Dream. "Is she asleep?"
"It would appear so," said Nightmare as she smoothed her golden tresses from her face. "Rapid eye movement, fidgeting, sharp breaths."
Dream kept his eyes focussed on Nightmare hands. He knew she could strike at anytime, he'd seen her do it before. One touch of Nightmare's delicately, tapered fingers could send a child's mind into a whirlwind of night terrors.
"Don't even think about it," Dream said.
"And you can stay away too," Nightmare hissed. "I know your tricks. Get close enough. Make up some reason to speak so you can blow sweet, lovely, fluffy, sugar-coated dreams into an urchin's ears."
"So we 'ave a dilemma then. Who is goin' to prevail tonight? Is this young en goin' to have a sweet dream, from myself," said Dream as he hovered in a silvery cloud to the foot of Heidi's bed, "or is Nightmare gonna give her the kiss of doom."
"I do so love a battle, Dream," said Nightmare as she skulked like a cat around the wispy form of dream.
When she was behind him Dream saw his opportunity and sped through the air toward Heidi but Nightmare, as swift as a bullet, grabbed his shimmering coattails and pulled him back.
"Not so fast," she said, toying with Dream and he tried to claw his way closer to Heidi to blow his soothing images into her. "Why the rush? We have time."
"You're stallin' now. Let's get it over wiv. We got five hundred 'ova battles ta wage before da nights out."
Nightmare let go of Dream and he hovered above Heidi's bed with a stunned look on his face, clearly surprised that she had given him an advantage.
"It's all about the numbers with you," she said. "Every night that's all I hear, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah."
"It's not me dat sets de targets. If you've got a beef you take it up wiv Sleep. 'Dreams and Nightmares are a definitive part ov 'uman existence' he says. Wivout it kids don't learn, dey don't evolve. We," said Dream pointing a silvery finger at himself and Nightmare, "are essential ta de evolution of their imagination."
"Do I really look like I care about that?" asked Nightmare, with her hands on her hips, wrapping her fingers against her long, flowing fiery-red skirt. "I want a challenge. I want a real fight not just a 'its your turn now' decision," she said as she swept up a photograph Heidi kept on her dresser. It was a picture of Heidi with her pony Rex.
"What are ya doin', Nightmare?" asked Dream. "You know da rules. No tamperin' with the real world."
"I'm not tampering, Dream, I'm researching...inspiration. I mean there's a wealth of Nightmares I could give this one. What about a rabid pony rampaging through the streets of this village, biting the villagers, or a perhaps it could give her a swift and surprising kick up the bum, or perhaps I should transport her into a world where horses ride kids. Yeah, I like that one."
"That's also against da rules. Da kids are supposed to make up their own visions."
"Rules are for those that lack imagination," spat Nightmare and she leapt over the foot of the bed and lunged for Heidi.
Dream spun through the air and delivered a swift spin kick at Nightmare that sent her reeling across the room where she smacked against the wardrobe and smashed the mirror.
Nightmare stood up and dusted herself off. "Now look what you've done. It's just as well the humans can't hear us."
Dream smirked but just as he was about to lean over and blow into Heidi's ear, one of Nightmare's arms wrapped itself around his head and he was jerked back.
"In actual fact it's my turn, if you're so keen on bureaucracy," she said and propelled herself off the wardrobe toward Heidi.
But instead of kissing the sleeping child she ended up kissing the floor.
"I thought you said no tampering with the real world," she said as she peeled herself up of the carpet and looked over to Dream who was holding Heidi and her bed above his head.
"If you can't beat 'em join 'em."
Dream lowered the bed gently. They were now in a stand off; hands on hips, eyes narrowed. Dream was on one side of the bed and Nightmare was on the other.
Who do you think got to Heidi first?