I was awakened again because my bed was shaking. At first I thought maybe I was dreamin’ but then I realized that I couldn’t move and remembered that Nugget was in bed with me. He was lyin’ on the left side of my bed and had his arm and leg draped overtop of me. His whole body was shakin’ like he had been out in the cold.

“Nugget,” I said softly but he didn’t respond so I gave him a soft elbow in the stomach, “Nugget wake up!”

Only his right eye opened, the other was still buried in my pillow. I don’t think he knew where he was or why he was seein’ me but then he got this really upset look on his face and leaped out of my bed as fast as he could. He ran right out of the room and of course I followed him ‘cause I was worried that somethin’ was really wrong.

He tried to close the bathroom door before I could get in too. “No, don’t come in!” he whispered with a sense of urgency and fear in his few words.

“What’s the matter?” I asked.

“N-nothing! Go back to bed, please!” he pleaded.

I pushed the door open as I said, “Nugget come on; it’s just me!”

He was keepin’ his back to me and at first I thought he was cryin’ but that wasn’t it.

“Please let me alone?” he sounded like he was pleadin’ for his life.

I reached out to touch him but he shrunk away.

“Come on, I am your best friend you can tell me what’s wrong! And I promise I won’t laugh or nothin’ like that.”

He sighed hard and turned, standin’ with his arms down to his side. I reached out and flicked on the bathroom light. As I did he tried to say, “No don’t!” but it was too late the light was on.

We both rubbed at our eyes tryin’ to get use to the brightness and then that’s when I seen it. The front of the pajama pants he was wearing, which were Kyle-Lee’s pajamas, had an obvious wet spot.

Really, I didn’t see any reason for him to be so worked up over wettin’ the bed just a little. I mean he has known that I wet and that I wear diapers. Heck, he’s even seen Kyle-Lee and Kane in diapers this past week and up close yesterday so I couldn’t see what the big deal was.

“So ya peed a little!” I said with a shrug, “It’s ok, I won’t tell!”

He shook his head and spoke so softly that I could barely hear him, “… not pee.”

“Huh?” I grunted.

Without lookin’ at me he explained that he had been havin’ a dream about this girl from school. “It was a dirty dream.” He said softer still.

At first I didn’t get it but then he gave details about the dream and I started to feel sick in my belly. At least I think I was feelin’ sick, except it wasn’t really a sick feeling… more like I had a belly full of grain moths.

Nugget finally looked up at me and frustrated asked, “A wet dream? You know what that is right?”

I shook my head.

He seemed very uncomfortable as he illustrated it for me. “When stuff comes out of your—you know what—while you are dreaming?”

I shook my head again. Not because I didn’t get it, ‘cause I finally got it; no I was shakin’ my head ‘cause nothin’ like that had ever happened to me… thank God!
“Does it happen a lot?” I asked without even knowin’ I had thought it.

He nodded.

“A lot?” I continued to probe.

He nodded again.

That feelin’ in my belly was growin’ and I probably shouldn’t have asked him but I did anyway, “Does it feel good?”

He looked up again and grinned sheepishly while nodding, “Yeah”.

“You never had that happen?” he asked me.

I shook my head as I said, “Never!”

“Basset said that it happens to everyone sooner or later.” Nugget said and blushed.

Surprised by that statement I asked, “Basset said that?”

And then I started to wonder what girl at school could make Nugget act this way and I just had to know. “Why were you dreaming about.”
He got quiet again.

“Come on tell me!” I said.

“No, better not.” He said sheepishly.

“Nugget you best tell me or I am going to…” I jokingly shook a fist at him.

He actually smiled just a little. “Promise you won’t laugh or tell?” he finally said.

“I promise.” I answered.

“Cross your heart and hope to die.” He added.

“Grrrrrr!” I growled like a bear at him and he smiled just a bit wider.

“Ok, well I sort of lied.” He looked up at me to see how I was reacting but I was just standing there listening. “It wasn’t a girl from school that I was dreaming about.”

“Who then?” I said nearly on the tips of my toes with excitement.

“Karen,” he said softly.

“Karen who?” I asked.

“Your sister you dope!” he said thumping himself on the head.

I slapped both of my hands over my mouth in shock. “Oh my… You … I mean, her … I mean … You like my sister?” I squeeled from behind my hands.

“Hey, you promised you wouldn’t laugh!” he said.

“Yeah but that was before you said you like my sister!” I giggled.

Once Nugget had calmed down and I’d promised never to tell a soul the two of us tiptoed back to bed. Neither one of us said another word to each other. I think we were both feelin’ too uncomfortable.

After we lay there for a good while Nuggets quietly asked, “Are you still awake?”

“Yeah,” I whispered back.

Nugget moved his mouth closer to my ear and asked, “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure!” I said.

I knew he was right by my ear ’cause I could feel his hot breath as he asked, “Do you think God will send me to hell?”

How do you answer somethin’ like that? I mean how am I supposed to know what God thinks about wet dreams. After lyin’ there thinkin’ for a few seconds I finally answered, “Yeah probably.” for which I received a firm elbow in the ribs. We both laughed quietly and soon afterward we both tried to fall back to sleep.

That’s when we heard my pa screamin’ up the stairs, “Kids get up! Get up! The barn’s on fire!”

Everyone, even those of us that had been so sick for the past week jumped out of bed, ran down the steps and outside. The barn wasn’t blazin’ yet but it was belchin’ grey smoke and flames were lickin’ out the side window closest to the house.