Mr. Elias Bell could see dreams.

Not just his own. Everyone's.

When people slept, Elias could step quietly into their dreams. He had wandered through castles made of clouds, sailed oceans of lemonade, and once attended a birthday party where the guests were all talking cats.

He had always thought it was a rather splendid gift.

Until one night, he met the Nightmare King.

Elias had entered the dream of a little boy who was having trouble sleeping. Instead of the usual dragons and flying machines, Elias found a grey kingdom where everything was silent.

At the top of a hill stood a small man wearing a crooked crown.

"I am the Nightmare King," he announced.

"You don't look very frightening," said Elias.

The King frowned.

"I am working on it."

He raised his arms, and suddenly hundreds of gloomy clouds filled the sky.

Elias smiled.

"That's your problem."

"My problem?"

"You've forgotten what dreams are for."

Elias snapped his fingers.

The clouds turned into enormous balloons.

The grey ground became green grass.

The Nightmare King's crown turned bright yellow.

"Stop that!" cried the King.

But Elias was already running.

The King chased him across the dream, changing everything he touched into something dull and dreary.

Elias changed it back.

A castle became a playground.

A dragon became a puppy.

A storm became a shower of marshmallows.

At last, the Nightmare King tripped over his own crown and landed in a puddle of chocolate pudding.

Elias offered him a hand.

"Come on," he said. "You can do better than nightmares."

The King looked at him suspiciously.

"Can I?"

"Of course."

The King stood up.

Then he smiled. And the whole dream changed.

Elias laughed.

Hed never seen anything quite so wonderful.

But as he turned to leave, the Nightmare King quietly whispered:

"Elias?"

"Yes?"

"There are other dream kingdoms."

Elias stopped.

"And some of them," said the King, "have kings who don't like being defeated."

Elias looked toward the horizon.

For the first time, he wondered just how many dreams were waiting for him.

And somewhere, far beyond the stars of the dream world, a distant bell began to ring.

The War had begun