Dragon from the Stars

1

Once upon a time, there was a baby dragon who lived on a silvery comet of ice that flew among the stars. He lived there with his mother. And even though their comet was small, and even though the only things the baby dragon had were his paci, his bottle, his diaper, and his blankie, he was happy. Every day he would gaze up into the sky with wonder, and every night he would snuggle up next to his mother, safe and warm.

As the baby dragon grew, he started to babble, as little ones do. And soon enough, the sounds began to come together, until one day he said his very first word:

“Star!” he said, reaching his little paw up towards one of the twinkling lights in the sky.

“That’s right!” his mother cooed. “It is a star.”

Soon he learned more words. And those words began to form questions.

“Mommy,” he asked one day. “What is that?” he asked, pointing above him.

“Why, that’s a star, my little one.”

“But I thought that was a star,” he said, pointing towards another twinkling light.

“They both are,” his mother said. “And so is that one. And so is that one. In fact, most of the lights you see up in the sky are stars!”

The baby dragon’s eyes widened in awe. “How many stars are there Mommy?” he asked eagerly.

“Well,” his mother said with a smile, “Why don’t you try counting them?”

And so he did try. He counted as many of the sparkling lights as he could. But by the time he got to eleventy-nine, his eyelids started to droop. And when he passed eighty-thirteen, they were almost shut. Not long after that, he was snoozing peacefully.

2

The baby dragon kept learning and growing. One day, he spotted a new light in the sky. It was larger and rounder. “Mommy, look! Another star!” he said, pointing to it eagerly.

“That, little one,” his mother said, “is a planet.”

“It’s not a star?” he asked curiously.

“No, it’s something different. But something wonderful. Planets come in many sizes and colors, and some of them are solid enough to walk on, like our comet, only much, much larger. Large enough for many creatures to live on.”

That night, his mother told him about some of the things that could be found on planets. She told him about rocks and dirt. She told him about mountains and valleys. She told him about clouds and geysers.

When she had finished, the baby dragon could hardly sleep. His mind was full of excitement at the thought of all the beautiful worlds there might be. And when he finally did drift to sleep, he dreamed of visiting them.

3

Then one day, the baby dragon said, “Mommy, I want to visit the planets. Can I please go? Please, Mommy, can I?”

“That sounds like it would be an amazing trip!” his mother said. “But how would you feed yourself?” she asked.

The baby dragon said, “When I’m hungry, I’ll drink from my bottle!”

His mother nodded thoughtfully. Then she asked, “How will you stay warm?”

The baby dragon said, “When I’m cold, I’ll wrap myself in my blankie!”

His mother thought some more, and then she asked, “How will you keep from getting lonely?”

The baby dragon said, “When I’m lonely, I’ll suck on my paci and go to sleep, and dream that I’m with you!”

His mother smiled warmly. Then she asked, “But my dear one, how will you travel to the planets?”

The baby dragon thought. He sat down and furrowed his brow. He crinkled the edge of his diaper in concentration. At long last, he said, “I don’t know Mommy. How can I travel to visit the planets?”

His mother nuzzled him and said, “You are ready, my dear one. All you need is a gentle push.”

4

The day came that the baby dragon was ready to depart on his journey. His bottle was full, his diaper was clean, his blankie was held tightly in one arm, and his paci was around his neck. He hugged his mother and she curled around him in a long, warm embrace. “Thank you for letting me visit the planets Mommy!” the baby dragon said. “But… I know I will miss you while I am away.”

“Do not worry, my dear little one,” his mother said, her eyes sparkling with loving tears. “I will see you again at the end of your journey.” She kissed him gently on the cheek, nuzzled him on the forehead, and then he was ready to go.

The baby dragon stood on the edge of their icy comet, and then his mother opened her mouth, and the inside glowed. She bent down and breathed against the surface of the comet… and it began to crack! The crack grew wider, and wider, until soon their comet had split in two! Then, his mother gripped the edge of the crack, and gave his half a mighty shove. And he began to drift.

“Goodbye Mommy!” he called as the distance between them grew.

“Goodbye my little one!” she called back. “Remember, I will see you again!”

He waved to her, and wiped away a single tear. Then, turning in the direction his own tiny comet was flying, he looked forward to the start of his journey.

5

The baby dragon stood at the edge of his tiny comet and stared in amazement. One of the tiny lights he had seen in the sky was no longer so tiny. Much of the sky was now full of a big gray and brown… something. This must be one of the planets! The surface was covered with dust and full of big holes. And he thought it had what his mother had called mountains. He thought for sure that if he sat at the top of one, he would be able to see the whole thing!

All too soon, this first planet began to recede, and before long he was leaving it behind. He waved to it, calling out, “Goodbye my first planet! Maybe I’ll visit you again some day!” He shivered a little bit. It was colder out here, away from his mother’s warmth. But he sat down with his legs crossed, wrapped himself up in his blanket, and soon he began to feel cozy once more.

Some time after that, he saw a big blue dot before him. As he neared it, it too began to fill the sky. It was another planet! But this one was much, much bigger. And it was a beautiful, deep, dark blue! The surface looked soft and striped, as if it were made out of the same thing as the tail of his comet. He thought for sure that if he jumped into it, he would sink right through, and then he would turn as dark blue as the planet itself!

All too soon, this planet also began to pass him by. Once it was behind him, he waved to it, calling out, “Goodbye big blue planet! Thank you for showing me your beautiful hue!” His tummy rumbled a little bit. Usually his mother would have fed him by now. But he found his bottle and drank from it, and soon his tummy began to feel full.

As he was finishing his bottle, the baby dragon glanced back into the sky. When he did, his mouth fell open as he saw another planet. This one was the prettiest of all! It was large and so bright. And most amazing of all, there were shimmering bands that that circled the middle of the planet, like glowing rings of light! He thought for sure that if he sat on the suface of the planet, he could stare at those glowing rings all day!

All too soon, this planet became a sparkling gem in the distance. He waved to it, calling out, “Goodbye shining ringed planet! I think you must be the prettiest one of all! Don’t you think so Mommy?” He looked behind him. And then he remembered that his mother was not there with him. His face fell. And for a moment, the little baby dragon began to feel sad that she wasn’t there with him, and lonely without her comforting presence. But then he felt for the paci around his neck. He picked it up and put it in his mouth. After sucking on it, he began to feel a little bit better. He curled up and felt his eyes begin to close. A minute later, he was napping, and dreaming that his mother was right beside him, sharing in the wonderful adventure he was having.

6

The little dragon awoke from his sleep to see another planet beginning the fill the sky. He had seen some amazing, beautiful things, but this one was the most unique of them all!

The surface was covered with blue, but also had large areas of green and brown. It also had whispy swirls of of white spread across it. The closer his little comet got, the more detail he could see. And it seemed there was so much to see! So much to explore! So much to learn! Of all the planets he had seen so far, this was the one he longed to visit most of all instead of merely flying past!

Just as he thought this, he realized that the planet was still growing larger… and larger… and larger… He was getting closer… and closer… and closer! He wasn’t passing it; he was going down to touch the surface!

He stared in delight and wonder as the planet’s colorful landscape filled his vision. He began to feel wind blowing past, ruffling his fur and rushing in his ears! Soft wisps of white began to flow past him, and for a moment all he could see was a soft white glow. Then just add suddenly, it cleared away, and he could see even more of the surface! The vast stretch of blue flowed and rippled, next to a tall outcropping full of green.

His little comet began to glow. And he suddenly realized that it was growing smaller, and the tail of vapor behind it was growing longer. The comet shrunk beneath his feet more and more until all that was left was a small chunk of ice… And then even that vanished into a puff of steam, leaving the dragon floating through the sky all on his own. For a moment he thought he would fall… But that’s when he felt something new… Something tugging at his back right between his shoulders…

He chanced a look behind him, and he saw large, white, feathery wings sprouting from his shoulders! He’d never known he could grow wings. He giggled delightedly as his wings carried him gently through the air.

7

Even though his wings were brand new to him, the little dragon felt as though they already knew what to do to carry him gently to the surface. Soon, his feet touched down. When they did, he immediately gasped and giggled! The ground was covered with something green and soft that tickled the bottoms of his feet! He knelt down and brushed his hand over it. It was cool, but not near as cold as his comet had been. He laid down on it. It felt so wonderful! He rolled over onto his belly and buried his face in it. It smelled fresh and sweet… But it also tickled the inside of his nose! He sneezed… And then he giggled some more.

“Dear one!” His ears perked up as he heard a voice… A voice that he instantly recognized!

“Mommy!” he called, scrambling back to his feet. And there she was, landing gracefully just a few feet behind him. “Mommy! You’re here!” He cried as he rushed towards her. “Just like you said! Just like you said!”

“Oh my dear one!” she said lovingly as he fell into her arms. “Yes, I’m here. I was never far. I simply gave you the space to make your own way.”

Wiping joyful tears from his eyes, he said, “It was wonderful Mommy! I saw so many beautiful things!”

“Yes,” his mother agreed. “You’ve traveled so far, and learned so much. And just look at the dragon you’ve grown into!”

To his surprise, he realized she was right. He was now tall enough to look directly into her eyes. He fingered the white, feathery wings that had sprouted from his back. And he ran a paw through the thick fur that had grown all along his back and tail.

“I have grown,” he said. “But… I still feel like a baby dragon,” he said. He still wore his diaper. He still had his bottle and paci. And he still clutched his blankie.

His mother smiled and said, “You will always be my little baby dragon. You’ve grown so much in body and mind. But you don’t need to give up the things that you truly love. Keep them, as you go out into the world to find new things.”

He looked at her in surprise. Then he looked behind him at the new and inspiring vista of the planet they now stood on. “You mean… this world?” he asked, turning back to her.

She nodded. “This is our home now,” she said with a smile. “And it’s up to you to let your curiosity lead you to learn all you can, and to let your kindness lead you to be a light to all that you meet.”

The little dragon hopped up and down in excitement. “Yes Mommy! I want to, I want to! But… how do I do that?” he asked.

His mother smiled warmly. “You start by simply being you.”

The end.