Chapter 12 Gibbs and the McGee Twins: The Robot and the Princess

Five year old Katie and John were excited. They were spending the night with Grandpa Gibbs for the first time. Their DiNozzo cousins often spent a night over at Gibbs' house. The DiNozzo children always told their cousins about the really cool stories that Grandpa told at bedtime and the fun breakfasts that they had the next morning.

Katie put on her princess nightgown and brushed her teeth. She moved into the bedroom and John went to brush his teeth. He had his favorite robot pajamas on.

"Are you going to tell us a story, Grandpa?" Katie asked Gibbs as he tucked her into her bed.

He nodded as he handed her the princess hippo that Aunt Abby had given her. "Yes, as soon as John is ready and in his bed." John was coming into the room as Grandpa spoke and he hurried over to his bed. John slid under the covers and hugged his plush robot. Gibbs sat in the chair between the two beds and began the story.

"Once there was a robot who had a princess hippo as his best friend. She always wore a pink skirt and crown, even when she played. The robot liked to play make believe with the princess. When she would pick a play scene, such as the castle or the stables, the robot would put pictures of the place on his screen.

"The princess chose to go to New York City to play make-believe that day. They went to Rockefeller Center to see the big Christmas tree and the skaters. The big tree and the skating rink showed on the robot's screen. The princess pretended that she was skating on the ice.

"After the skating, they went to get some hot chocolate and a big pretzel from the street vendors. The pretzel was as big as the princess's face! But, it was a good pretzel and the princess ate all of it!

"After the snack was done, they walked to Central Park to ride the carousel. The horses were big and brightly colored. There were fifty seven in all; fifty two of them moved, called jumpers, and five stationery horses. There were also two chariots "pulled" by some of the horses. The princess picked a pink hued jumper horse to ride. The horse rode up high, and then back down as she rode around the carousel.

"The princess had so much fun on the first ride, she wanted to ride again. This time she chose a horse with blue reins and decorations. The blue horse was also a jumper. But instead of going round and round, the blue horse leaped off the carousel and into the field. He jumped over the benches and bushes and jumped around the field. The princess held on tight, hoping she would not fall off as the blue horse jumped higher and higher.

"Finally the blue horse stopped jumping. He stopped and just looked at the beautiful horse that was pulling a carriage through the park. The princess could tell that the blue horse was sad. Suddenly, the blue horse spoke, 'I want to be real.'

"The princess did not know what to do. She looked at the robot, who was making the scene for them to play. 'Robot, how do we help the horse become real?'

"The robot had to think about that one. 'I don't think we can make the blue horse real. He is in my virtual reality, so he is just pretend.' The princess was sad, and she told the robot to stop playing for now. She really wanted to help the horse, even if it was all just make believe.

"She ate her lunch with the robot by her side. She went outside and went for a walk near her home. The robot followed her. They walked by a field with a beautiful horse, who had on a blue blanket to keep warm. The horse spotted the princess and came over to the fence where she and the robot stood watching. She had an apple in her pocket and she decided to give the apple to the horse.

"The horse took the apple from the princess. 'Thank you, princess. I am real!' The princess and the robot high-fived each other; they had made the horse real by being kind to him."

Gibbs noticed that both Katie and John were asleep, each hugging a stuffed toy. John's robot winked at Gibbs as if to say "good story." Katie's hippo smiled.

"Good night, John and Katie." Gibbs kissed each of them on the forehead, making sure they were tucked under their covers. "I love you."

A/N I hope you enjoyed these stories; I had fun writing them! This final story was written by my 9-year-old granddaughter after she read the others. In the process, she became an NCIS fan!