Mavi woke up crying again.
Selenga rushed into his room.
"What's wrong?"
“A bad dream,” Mavi said, tears streaming down his face. “A dark place. Something was chasing me.”
Selenga wrapped her arms around him.
"It's over. I'm here."
Mavi calmed down a little, but he didn't want to go back to sleep. "It'll happen again."
The Nightmare Catcher
Selenga thought for a moment.
“Can I tell you a secret?”
Mavi looked up at her.
"I'm a nightmare catcher."
Mavi's eyes widened. “You are?”
“I catch bad dreams every night. I have a special bag — I put them inside.”
Mavi wasn't sure if he believed her, but he was curious. “Where do you put them?”
“I tie the bag shut tight. When the sun comes up in the morning, I open it. The sunlight melts the bad dreams away.”
Mavi looked toward the window. “Is that really true?”
Selenga smiled. “Try it and see.”
The Dream Bag
Selenga got up and pulled a small bag from her closet — soft pink fabric with a drawstring.
“This is yours,” she said. "A nightmare catcher's bag."
Mavi took it and sniffed. “It smells like lavender.”
"That's because bad dreams hate lavender. They run away from it."
“How do I use it?”
"Before you go to sleep, open the bag a little. Say 'Bad dreams cannot come inside.' Then tie it closed and put it under your pillow."
Mavi carefully opened the bag's drawstring.
“Bad dreams cannot come inside,” he whispered.
He closed it and slipped it under his pillow.
Sleeping Safe
Selenga tucked in his blanket.
“Selenga?”
“Yes?”
“Are bad dreams real?”
Selenga paused. She wanted to be honest.
"Dreams aren't real. But your feelings are real. Fear is real."
“How does the fear go away?”
"It doesn't disappear completely. But it gets smaller. It shrinks when you look at it."
Mavi stared at the ceiling. “It got smaller after talking to you.”
"That's because sharing makes it smaller."
Mavi closed his eyes.
“Good night, nightmare catcher.”
Selenga laughed. “Good night, little brother.”
Mavi fell asleep. And that night, he didn't have a bad dream.
The next morning he said, “The bag worked!”
Selenga knew the truth — it wasn't the bag that worked, it was the feeling of being safe. But she didn't say that. Because sometimes, magic is real.
A Note for Parents
This story is perfect for children who struggle with nightmares. You can make a real “dream bag” at home — fill a small pouch with dried lavender. The ritual and sense of security are powerful tools for helping children feel brave at bedtime. When children feel heard and protected, their fears naturally become smaller.