What is the very first bedtime story you can remember?

I’ve been collecting answers to this question for years now. Most are scribbled on little bits of paper and stuffed in a desk drawer. Some are serving as bookmarks. Others are lost, or stolen.

It’s time to gather these descriptions of bedtime stories—the very first bedtime stories, the ones that left a mark—and put them somewhere safe. Like the Internet.

A pattern might emerge from such a collection. Truths might be revealed. Secrets might be discovered. The potent and protoplasmic elements of bedtime narrative may well merge to become something monstrous and beautiful.

Maybe. Only one way to find out.