Unlock
Are you sure you want to open the next chapter?

The Dream Thieves Camo

This tale is written to enjoy reading aloud to your group. Don't forget to bring chalk with you to mark the locations on the ground.
Start on the lower path leading down through the wood.
 
Chapter one

The Beginning

Knock three times
Then knock once again
Knock upon the moor land streams
Knock upon the glen
Knock upon the upright stones
Knock upon the gables
Knock upon the blue bell knolls
Knock upon upon the tables

Knock with all your strength and might
Knock till your palms are red
Knock till the morning light
To keep them from our beds

For the thieves they creep
Below mire and creak
Beneath paving curb slab and stone
They come to peruse
Those criminal crews
Right in the heart of your town

To succour sweet from children's cheeks
Tis true I have been told
They gouge your dreams
Just leaving screams
They come in the night and the cold

The dream thieves
The dream thieves
Are stealing into town
The dream thieves
The dream thieves
Are stealing all around

Clawing at your window pane
Creeping across your floor
Over tiny cracks
In chimney stacks
Or slithering beneath your door

So before they come a pestering
In the dark of night
And thieving beneath your pillow soft
We'll chase them far from sight

We'll stomp our feet
And then stomp the street
And shake their homes underground

We'll find those thieves
Deep beneath the leaves
With only chalk in hand
Continue along the path.
 
Chapter two

Zara

With a whiskers twitch
And then a ticklish itch
We know the dream thieves must be close
So place your ear
On a tree trunk near
Or fence post deep and strong
And listen to the dream thieves' talk
As they mumble and rumble along

x
He was a scruffy man. He has greasy hair. His face is red and he is angry like a octopus. He has five black scary legs. His shoes have spiders all over them.
His den has purple sofas, covered in spiders and his pictures are slimy with old grease from his hair. He cooks by rubbing rocks together and he has a black rabbit.
x

So first we scribe a circle
Deep and full and round
With silky toe
Wide and slow
Upon the trembling ground

Then make a simple chalky notch
Note the time
Check your watch

Then all can see it marks the den
So we can knock three times
And knock once again

So his home is marked
For the cross you've parked
Sits just meters from his squat
Now move on down
For the next is to be found
We won't stop till we have the lot
Continue along the path.
 
Chapter three

Seb

With a whiskers twitch
And then a ticklish itch
We know the dream thieves must be close
So place your ear
On a tree trunk near
Or fence post deep and strong
And listen to the dream thieves' talk
As they mumble and rumble along

x
My dream thief has poisonous dripping hair. He has a fishy jacket on his back he has has curly sharp fingers and carrot coloured armpits beneath. He lives underground with a pet bat. He has stolen alot of money and alot of candles.


x

So first we scribe a circle
Deep and full and round
With silky toe
Wide and slow
Upon the trembling ground

Then make a simple chalky notch
Note the time
Check your watch

Then all can see it marks the den
So we can knock three times
And knock once again

So his home is marked
For the cross you've parked
Sits just meters from his squat
Now move on down
For the next is to be found
We won't stop till we have the lot
Continue along the path.
 
Chapter four

Joe T

With a whiskers twitch
And then a ticklish itch
We know the dream thieves must be close
So place your ear
On a tree trunk near
Or fence post deep and strong
And listen to the dream thieves' talk
As they mumble and rumble along

x
He has a hand which is swollen like a lobster claw. He has a boil on his head which looks like smelly fungus.

There are candles everywhere in his den and there are bats hanging from the roof.
x

So first we scribe a circle
Deep and full and round
With silky toe
Wide and slow
Upon the trembling ground

Then make a simple chalky notch
Note the time
Check your watch

Then all can see it marks the den
So we can knock three times
And knock once again

So his home is marked
For the cross you've parked
Sits just meters from his squat
Now move on down
For the next is to be found
We won't stop till we have the lot
Continue along the path.
 
Chapter five

Mollie

With a whiskers twitch
And then a ticklish itch
We know the dream thieves must be close
So place your ear
On a tree trunk near
Or fence post deep and strong
And listen to the dream thieves' talk
As they mumble and rumble along

x
He has three googly eyes and sharp fangs. He has four fat arms. He has pointy green hair and smelly fungus feet.

He has a pet bat and pet spiders and some lit candles. He has a table and he watches TV all day.
x

So first we scribe a circle
Deep and full and round
With silky toe
Wide and slow
Upon the trembling ground

Then make a simple chalky notch
Note the time
Check your watch

Then all can see it marks the den
So we can knock three times
And knock once again

So his home is marked
For the cross you've parked
Sits just meters from his squat
Now move on down
For the next is to be found
We won't stop till we have the lot
Continue along the path.
 
Chapter six

Joel

With a whiskers twitch
And then a ticklish itch
We know the dream thieves must be close
So place your ear
On a tree trunk near
Or fence post deep and strong
And listen to the dream thieves' talk
As they mumble and rumble along

X
He has chocolate for hair and he has berries on his legs. His nest is made from green slime. He has milkshake on his hands and caramel on his belly. His lair is like a rainbow.


X

This one is tall and mysteriously dark
And can sometimes be spotted at the edges of the park
He lumbers slow into the cruelest places
And leaves no prints nor foot step traces
His unearthly gaze and long black brow
Reminds me of week old cheesy towels
And in his heart the bleakest sadness swells
Which he keeps in check with his lucky white shells
So how is it some can become so lost
With neither wife nor son what a terrible cost
But you ignore his loss
And begin the chalking
Now is not the time for talking

So first we scribe a circle
Deep and full and round
With silky toe
Wide and slow
Upon the trembling ground

Then make a simple chalky notch
Note the time
Check your watch

Then all can see it marks the den
So we can knock three times
And knock once again

So his home is marked
For the cross you've parked
Sits just meters from his squat
Now move on down
For the next is to be found
We won't stop till we have the lot
Continue along the path.
 
Chapter seven

Alexander

With a whiskers twitch
And then a ticklish itch
We know the dream thieves must be close
So place your ear
On a tree trunk near
Or fence post deep and strong
And listen to the dream thieves' talk
As they mumble and rumble along

x
He has slimy snake and worm hair and slugs coming out of his eyes. Bogies fall from his nose and he has worms for fingers. He sleeps in a wet dog basket and eats worms with sludge sauce.


x

There he hides with his hands in his face
So sad that his luck has been squandered and misplaced
As you knock upon his roof he is chased away again
Another broken sleepless night
As he hides away his pain

When you knock three times
Then knock once again
All his aches and woes are multiplied by ten

He picks up his coat and leaves his tiny nest
He just wants to dream
With simply those that dream the best
With their super soft pillows and enchanting lullaby tunes
Sung by fathers, mothers and sisters
Gentle songs which soothe his blisters
And bring forth the sunshine
On his shadowed soul
And fill his heart with grace
Before he retreats back to his hole

And a simple thought crosses you
As you look upon your chalk
And think of all the markings you've made
Over squats and holes and ports
Up the street and pavement long
Now was I right or was I wrong?
You hear the dream thieves' movements
As they slowly scuttle away
And drag their cumbersome bodies
Did they only come to play?