The Naked Nightmare

    By Zachary Flewelling

    The Naked Nightmare cover image

    02 Jul, 2024

    a boy sitting on a bed in a bedroom with a lot of comics on the wall and a bookcase, lyco art, a comic book panel, Diego Gisbert Llorens, comic book

    Max was lying on his bed, his eyes wide open in fear. He had just woken up from a nightmare where he was in school without any clothes on.

    a boy sitting on a bed in a bedroom with a lot of comics on the walls and a teddy bear on the bed, shock art, a comic book panel, Diego Gisbert Llorens, comic cover art

    Max couldn't shake off the nightmare. He was terrified of going back to school. What if his nightmare came true? He decided to talk to his best friend, Sam, about it.

    two young men sitting on a bench in a park talking to each other, with trees in the background, vancouver school, a comic book panel, Brothers Hildebrandt, comic cover art

    Max met Sam at the park and told him about his nightmare. Sam listened attentively, a thoughtful expression on his face.

    a boy and a boy standing next to each other in a park with trees and grass in the background, american scene painting, a comic book panel, Adam Dario Keel, graphic novel

    "Don't worry, Max," Sam said. "It was just a dream. It won't come true. And even if it did, we'd all have a good laugh and then forget about it."

    a boy is walking through a school with a group of children behind him and a teacher in the background, paris school, a comic book panel, Asaf Hanuka, yukito kishiro

    Max was standing in front of his school the next day, his heart pounding in his chest. He remembered Sam's words and took a deep breath, stepping inside.

    a boy standing in a hallway with lockers in the background and a backpack on his shoulder, looking at the camera, sots art, a comic book panel, Aaron Jasinski, comic cover art

    Throughout the day, Max was on edge, expecting his nightmare to come true. But nothing happened. His clothes stayed on, and no one laughed at him.

    a boy sitting in bed with a blanket on his bed and a lamp on the nightstand next to him, context art, a storybook illustration, Asaf Hanuka, storybook illustration

    That night, Max lay in bed, relieved. He hadn't faced any embarrassment at school. Maybe Sam was right. Maybe it was just a silly dream.

    a boy sitting in bed with a night sky background and stars on the wall behind him, and a full moon in the sky, space art, a comic book panel, Asaf Hanuka, moon

    Max fell into a peaceful sleep, the fear of his nightmare slowly fading away.

    a cartoon of a boy standing in front of a crowd of people in a city street with buildings in the background, vancouver school, a storybook illustration, David Park, graphic novel

    The next day at school, Max felt a new surge of confidence. He realized that he had been worrying about something that was not going to happen.

    two boys standing in front of a house with a dog on the sidewalk and a boy in the background, vancouver school, a storybook illustration, Brothers Hildebrandt, comic cover art

    "You were right, Sam," Max said, grinning at his friend. "It was just a dream. I'm not afraid anymore."

    two young boys are walking down a path in a park together, one is smiling and the other is laughing, vancouver school, a comic book panel, Brothers Hildebrandt, official art

    Max and Sam played in the park that evening, without a worry in the world. Max felt lighter, happier, and free from the grip of his nightmare.

    two children walking down a sidewalk in a park with a house in the background and a tree in the foreground, vancouver school, a comic book panel, Brothers Hildebrandt, comic cover art

    From that day forward, Max was no longer afraid of his dreams. He knew that they were just dreams and couldn't control his life. He had learned to face his fears, and that made him feel invincible.

    The Naked Nightmare

    AI Children’s Stories