My Favorite Bedtime Story Ever: "Lucky Maurice"

I waited for each night like it was a mini-Christmas.

That was the excitment for a new edition of our favorite story. But this is a story you've never heard. There were no books, cartoons, or films about it. I didn't even know anyone else who knew it.

Only three people knew: Me, my sister, and my younger brother. It was the story of Lucky Maurice and it was one my dad came up with.

There wasn't a book full of illustrations, it was created on the spot. That meant that no two stories were the same--and that was a huge part of the appeal.

The settings, characters, and situations always changed. For a kid, this novelty made for the perfect bedtime story. Sure, I had my favorite books, but I knew exactly what was going to happen in them.

With Lucky Maurice, it was always a mystery. And the best part? We were fully involved with how the story would unfold.

What Was the Story of Lucky Maurice?

I wish I could tell you the specifc premise, but there wasn't one. Lucky Maurice was a kid who always ended up coming out on top--hence his name. He was always put into a different situation, but could find his way out of it. And that's where us kids came into play.

Before the story started, my dad would ask us to come up with three different items. These would be used throughout the course of the story.

There would be arguments over which items would be best, but eventually--we had to decide. The more random the item, the better. It could be something like a piece of string, or a baseball cap. Whatever we chose would be woven into the story, and we had no idea how, or when.

With our three items decided, my dad would write them down for easy reference. Then the story began. Lucky Maurice would always find himself in a strange new land. He would journey through it but would always end up in some predicment he had to get out of.

He may be stuck in the jungle, or trapped in a cave. To get his way out, he had to use the items that we suggested. Somehow, my dad could think up a use for each item on the spot. It always amazed me how my item could help save the day. Every night, I could never see how what I chose could possibly help. But it always ended up being the exact thing Lucky Maurice needed.

There is one story that still sticks with me to this day. Lucky Maurice had found himself in a forest and was being chased by a lion. One of the items I mentioned was a pair of roller skates.

In the story, Lucky Maurice is running, but the lion is gaining on him. How was he going to escape? The roller skates! I had completely forgotten all about them. Lucky Maurice was able to put them on and glide down a steep hill to outrun the lion.

I couldn't beleive how well my idea had worked to help save the day.

Final Thoughts

Looking back now, I think my dad had a blueprint for this story to make sure it always worked out. But If he did--I never picked up on it.

Maybe this was a borrowed idea, but that doesn't really matter. What does matter is this fantastical world waited for us each night before we went to bed. Some nights, I remember being too exicted from the story to even sleep.

Lucky Maurice was like magic to me. It was whimsy and excitment all rolled into one. I would tell teachers and freinds at school how it was my favorite story. They, of course, had no idea what I was talking about. I would try to recreate it for friends, but was never able to do it.

It was almost like Lucky Maurice was a real person, and we had the privilege to be part of his adventures.