The Cradle Guard

Once upon a time, a long time ago, a young boy called Tom was walking through the woods in a dreamy state of mind when he passed by a soldier dressed in a pink and yellow coloured uniform with white daisies for buttons who was guarding an infant with twinkling eyes that was lying in a golden cradle.

 

“What are you doing?”, asked Tom.

 

“Guarding the future”, said the soldier, unhappily.

 

“Why are you so unhappy?”, asked Tom.

 

“Because it’s boring guarding the future not to mention I have to wear this silly uniform”, said the soldier, “I want to do the things that other soldiers do, like go on missions and fight in battles but I have to stay here and guard the stupid old future”.

 

“Well, what would happen if you just went away and left it?”, asked Tom.

 

“There would be no future”, said the Soldier, ominously, “The end of the world as we or anyone else knows it”.

 

“That sounds like a very important job”, said Tom, “And a big responsibility”.

 

“Perhaps”, said the soldier, “But what about my future. Is my future just going to be like this forever; stuck guarding everyone else’s future? Don’t I have a right to a life as well?”.

 

“Well yes”, said Tom, “But how many people are lucky enough to have the kind of life that they want? I’m sure there are lots of people who would rather have a different kind of life but are stuck doing something they don’t enjoy and at least your job is an important one; some people have really insignificant jobs”.

 

“Huh!”, said the Soldier, “Well if you think it’s such a great job, why don’t you do it?”.

 

“Umm..well”, said Tom, worried that he might not be up to handling such a big responsibility, “What would I have to do?”.

 

“Feed it with its magic milk bottle when it gets hungry; change its golden nappies, give it its magical medicine when it gets sick, keep it nice and warm, read it stories and sing it songs; oh and protect it from wolves”, said the soldier.

 

“Wolves ?”, asked Tom.

 

“Yes there are lots of wolves in the forest and they’re always up to no good”, said the soldier, “But don’t worry. You’ll have this rifle to shoot them with”.

 

The soldier handed Tom his pink and gold rifle.

 

“Well, alright then”, said Tom, “I’ll do my best”.

 

So then, thanking Tom and waving goodbye, the cradle guard went away to pursue the kind of life that he wanted.

 

And Tom did all the things that the soldier had instructed him to do. He fed the future whenever it got hungry, giving it its never ending bottle of milk to suck upon; he kept it warm with magic blankets and changed its golden nappies; he gave it its magic medicine whenever it got sick and sang songs to it and told it stories from a never ending book of bedtime songs and tales but then, suddenly, out of nowhere, a wolf appeared only Tom didn’t know it was a wolf because it was disguised as a woman in a dress and a wig and shoes.

 

“Good day, maam”, he said, standing to attention and saluting like a soldier.

 

“You’re not the usual guard are you?”, asked the wolf in a high pitched voice.

 

“Uh? No”, said Tom, “I’m, um, standing in for him but don’t worry about your future. I’ve got a rifle to keep wolves away and everything. I’m sure I’ll do a good job”.

 

“Oh but the soldier wasn’t just an ordinary person”, said the wolf, “He was specially designed to do his job. For example, he could smell a wolf up to a mile away. Can you do that?”.

 

“No”, said Tom, “But I’m sure I’d know a wolf if I saw one”.

 

“Even dressed in a disguise?”, asked the Wolf.

 

“Yes”, said Tom, “I think so”.

 

But then the wolf pointed to his rifle, “My, that’s a very interesting gun you have. May I look at it?”.

 

“Umm”, said Tom, “Well okay but only for a minute. I have to keep it by my side constantly in case I see any wolves”.

 

And Tom handed the rifle to the wolf to look at.

 

But while the wolf was inspecting the rifle, Tom noticed its furry legs.

 

“You have fur all over your legs”, said Tom.

 

“Hair you mean. Yes I know. That’s because I don’t shave them”, said the wolf, “There’s nothing wrong with that is there?”.

 

“Well, no”, said Tom, “I suppose not”.

 

But then Tom noticed that the wolf had fur all over its face too, not to mention a large nose and large pointy teeth.

 

“But you have fur on your face as well and a big nose and long pointy teeth”, said Tom.

 

“How rude”, said the wolf, “Is it my fault if I have a problem with facial hair or unconventional looks?”.

 

“I’m sorry”, said Tom, feeling embarrassed, “I didn’t mean to make you feel bad about the way you look”.

 

But then the wolf pointed the barrel of the rifle it was holding towards him,

 

“That’s alright”, it said, grinning and pulling of its wig and the rest of its disguise, “Just hand over that baby and I’ll forget all about it”.

 

Tom gulped, backing away from the wolf.

 

“Oh no”, he said, “What have I done? I’ve put the future of everyone in danger”.

 

Just then, however, the wolf felt a tap upon his furry shoulder and, turning round, he then felt the fist of a pink and yellow uniformed soldier hit him in his long wolf nose.

 

“Ouch”, said the wolf as the soldier snatched the rifle out of its paws and pointed the barrel of the gun towards it.

 

Howling in fear,the wolf ran away, its tail between its legs.

 

“Oh, thank goodness you came back”, said Tom, running over to the soldier.

 

“Well, I wanted to leave but the future wouldn’t stop crying”, said the soldier.

 

“Crying?”, asked Tom.

 

“Yes. Can’t you hear it. It’s an awful noise”, said the soldier, putting his hands over his ears.

 

Tom tried to listen but couldn’t hear anything.

 

“Oh well. I suppose only the real cradle guardian can hear it”, the soldier said.

 

Tom felt embarrassed about what had happened,

 

“I’m sorry that I let that wolf trick me the way it did”, he said.

 

“It’s alright”, said the soldier, “I realise now that it’s my job to guard the future, not anyone else’s because I’m the one designed to do it”.

 

But then Tom looked at his watch,

 

“Well if I’m not needed then I should probably get home. Dinner will be ready and my mother will be wondering where I am”, he said.

 

“Alright”, said the soldier, “But just mind you don’t trip over that branch”.

 

“What?”, asked Tom.

 

“Oh it’s the future”, said the Soldier, “Sometimes it speaks to me”.

 

“Oh?”, said Tom, not really understanding.

 

But then Tom waved goodbye before, turning he ran back home.

 

But then, just as he was running towards the door of his house, his foot got caught on a branch that was lying on the ground and he tripped and would have gone crashing into his door if the door hadn’t suddenly opened and his mother hadn’t caught him in her arms.

 

“Oops”, she said, “It’s lucky I saw you from the window coming home otherwise you might have had an accident”.

 

Tom hugged his mother.

 

“I’m so glad there’s someone to care for and protect me”, Tom said.

 

Then Tom and his mother went inside the house and, because the cradle guard was watching over it and protecting it from wolves, they both had a very happy future together.