Peter Pettigrew's prisoner

In Short

Set during a wartime practice blackout in the United States, a timid and overlooked volunteer Air Raid Warden named Peter Pettigrew draws guard duty at a crucial city armory filled with explosives. While on post, Peter encounters Ole Luk Oie, the legendary Bringer of Sleep, who is armed with a bag of magical anaesthetic dust. When actual Nazi saboteurs infiltrate the building to blow it up, Peter uses the supernatural sand to defeat them. This whimsical fantasy short story blends wartime home-front anxiety with classic folklore.

The Story

Peter Pettigrew struggles during training under regular Army Sergeant McCurdle, who treats Peter as an incompetent misfit who should drop out of the volunteer Air Raid Warden brigade. Outside of his clerical job and dull routines, Peter escapes into rich daydreams where he imagines himself a daring hero fighting enemies. Assigned unexpectedly to guard the city armory during a midnight practice blackout—a building packed with gunpowder and dynamite near vital government structures—Peter feels intensely isolated. Equipped with special ultraviolet-blocking glasses that he uses for sunbaths, Peter patrols the dark streets and startles a nearby resident into complying with the blackout, giving him an intoxicating taste of authority.

Donning his glasses and a gas mask, Peter notices a suspicious, silent stranger carrying a heavy gunnysack who slips directly into the armory. When Peter enters, he finds the regular guard fast asleep. Investigating the basement powder room, Peter discovers the mysterious intruder is none other than Ole Luk Oie, the mythical Sandman, who is baffled that Peter can see him through his special glasses and remain awake through his sleep-inducing dust because of his gas mask. As they argue over ownership of the magical bag of anaesthetic sand, three genuine Nazi saboteurs burst into the room. The saboteurs begin scattering gunpowder and rigging dynamite, mocking Peter as a delusional fool talking to himself in an empty room.

Seizing the moment while the oblivious Germans gloat, Peter swings the Sandman's heavy gunnysack with all his might, striking the enemy leader and releasing a thick cloud of slumber-dust that instantly fells all three saboteurs. Unfortunately, Peter tears his gas mask in the struggle and breathes in the dust himself, collapsing into a deep sleep alongside his captives. When he awakens hours later on a cot in the drill-hall, he is surrounded by his fellow wardens and an admiring Sergeant McCurdle, who praises him as a wildcat who single-handedly saved the city from a horrific disaster. Although the regular officers attribute the unconscious state of the saboteurs to Peter's raw fists and dismiss any talk of a magic dust bag as post-traumatic confusion, Peter realizes the truth. As he drifts off to sleep once more, planning to send the remaining dust to Washington for analysis, the Sandman quietly retrieves his magical sack, leaving Peter with genuine, valiant dreams that will forever come true.

How It Unfolds

The classroom reprimand Sergeant McCurdle publicly berates Peter Pettigrew during a training lecture for daydreaming and failing to answer complex bomb-defense questions. The strict non-com bluntly tells Peter that he does not fit in with the volunteer brigade and should drop out to pursue lighter civilian tasks like canteen work. This humiliating public scolding crushes Peter's fragile self-esteem, reinforcing his lifelong belief that he is an absolute misfit.

The lonely post Assigned unexpectedly to guard a vital downtown armory during a midnight practice blackout, Peter feels overwhelmed by the oppressive darkness and his own acute isolation. However, successfully ordering a local resident to extinguish a stray window light gives him a sudden, heady rush of rare confidence. He finally feels the empowering authority of being a true Air Raid Warden.

The invisible intruder Peter spots a silent stranger carrying a heavy gunnysack slip into the armory past a guard who has mysteriously fallen fast asleep. Donning his ultraviolet sunbathing glasses and his gas mask, Peter cautiously tracks the strange intruder down into the high-security basement powder room. He is determined to protect his post at all costs.

The mythical encounter Confronting the intruder, Peter discovers his captive is Ole Luk Oie, the actual Sandman, who uses sleep-inducing dust distributed from a celestial office. Their surreal argument over ownership of the magical bag is abruptly interrupted by the terrifying arrival of three heavily armed Nazi saboteurs. These human enemies completely ignore the immortal being.

The unexpected triumph Completely overlooked by the gloating Germans who assume he is merely talking to himself in an empty room, Peter strikes the enemy leader with the Sandman's bag. The resulting cloud of potent sleep-dust instantly knocks out all the saboteurs, earning Peter widespread military praise, an official commendation, and a recommendation for a Congressional Medal.

The People

Peter Pettigrew wants to be a respected, brave Air Raid Warden who can successfully serve his country during wartime. His diminutive stature, painful shyness, and severe lack of self-confidence stand squarely in his way, alongside the constant derision of his superiors. By the end of the story, Peter is transformed from a mocked misfit into a celebrated national hero who earns the genuine respect of the Army and a recommendation for a Congressional Medal.

Sergeant McCurdle wants to whip his volunteer brigade into a disciplined, effective defense force capable of handling real wartime emergencies. Peter’s apparent incompetence and absent-minded daydreams stand in his way, leading the sergeant to treat him with open disdain and demand he quit. Ultimately, McCurdle’s dismissive attitude completely shatters, replaced by deep respect and admiration when Peter single-handedly neutralizes the enemy agents.

Ole Luk Oie, the mythical Sandman, wants to quietly perform his nocturnal duties distributing sleep without interference from mortals or modern science. The discovery of immortal wave-lengths by human scientists and Peter's special ultraviolet glasses stand in his way, allowing Peter to see and capture him. He ends up losing his magical bag of anaesthetic dust to the government's future plans, though he parts with a tender blessing for Peter.

The Nazi saboteurs want to blow up the vital city armory using gunpowder and dynamite to cripple American war production. Peter's unexpected vigilance, coupled with the Sandman's magical sleep-dust, stands in their way. They end up thoroughly defeated, knocked out cold before they can detonate their explosives.

In Its Own Voice

During a classroom lecture, Peter retreats into an imaginary combat scenario where he vanquishes a perceived enemy.

("Halt, you cowardly cur!" rasped Peter Pettigrew to the sinister figure creeping from a dark covert of his imagination. "Advance and give the countersign. What? You don't know it? I thought not! Then take that, you dirty Nazi spy, you! And that, and that, and THAT!")

Describing Peter's physical appearance, the text highlights his natural disadvantages before his volunteer service.

To begin with, as a specimen of manhood Peter Pettigrew was a washout.

When Peter finally confronts his unusual captive in the armory basement, the tiny intruder reveals his true identity.

"I've already told you once," said the little fellow testily. "I'm Ole Luk Oie. The Bringer of Sleep. The Sandman!"

What It's Really About

The story explores the intersection of mundane wartime reality and fantastical folklore, questioning where ordinary human courage comes from. It examines how public anxiety and civilian defense efforts during World War II can blur the lines between psychological daydreams and tangible reality. By pitting a meek, overlooked clerk against both human saboteurs and a mythical dream-bringer, the narrative argues that true heroism is not a matter of physical stature or innate toughness, but of stepping up when an emergency demands action. It gently questions whether the magic of childhood myths might quietly intersect with the grim responsibilities of the modern world.

Why Read It Today

Readers who enjoy whimsical wartime fantasy, gentle satire, and classic pulp fiction will find this short story an absolute delight. Reading it feels like stepping into a cozy, slightly surreal blend of mid-century home-front mobilization and timeless fairy tales, anchored by a deeply sympathetic underdog protagonist. You will love how Peter's pathetic secret daydreams unexpectedly collide with actual global conflict, offering a charming escape powered by pure imagination.

Modern readers should approach the text with an awareness of its historical context, keeping in mind the period attitudes and wartime patriotic tropes prevalent in 1942 American pulp magazines. While some readers might find the dated slang or the stark delineation of World War II villains slightly quaint or formulaic, these elements add to its authentic historical charm rather than detracting from the narrative. What ultimately stays with you long after finishing is Peter's quiet transformation and the bittersweet realization that while his magical adventure leaves no physical trace behind with the dawn, his newfound self-worth and valiant dreams endure.