Nightmares

The youngest had his first nightmare last night. He didn't call it that, of course. Nor did he call it a "bad dream", which is the oldest's term. In fact, he didn't realize it was a dream at all, which is why it was scary to him. He truly believed someone had taken his bubble ball away; he wouldn't stop crying until I showed him that the ball was still here.

His bubble ball is a large (36 inches or so in diameter) hollow bouncing ball that resembles an oversized soap bubble. It is almost completely see-through with just a tinge of purple to it and a smattering of glitter.

smattering
noun
1. A small number or amount.
2. A slight or superficial understanding of a subject.
"smattering." WordNet 1.7.1. Princeton University, 2001. Answers.com 04 Jun. 2006. http://www.answers.com/topic/smattering