Sophia, with her big smile and even bigger imagination, loved to play pretend. She would often pretend to be a doctor, using her stuffed animals as patients. "Don't worry, Mr. Bear, I'll fix your sore paw in a jiffy!" she'd say. Today was a special day at school - Show and Tell day! Sophia was so excited to share her special toy dragon, Sparky.
"Grandpa, do you think Sparky will like school?" Sophia asked, her eyes wide with wonder.
Grandpa, who at 49 years old still had a twinkle in his eye when he talked about pirates, chuckled. "Of course, he will! School is a place for learning and fun. Just like a pirate ship, except with fewer parrots and cannons."
When they arrived at school, Sophia felt a little flutter in her tummy. What if the other children didn't like Sparky? What if they thought dragons were scary? She held Sparky tight, his colorful scales smooth under her fingers. Taking a deep breath, Sophia reminded herself what Grandpa always said: "Courage is like a fire in your heart, it helps you shine bright!"
Inside the classroom, Sophia's classmates shared their treasures - a shiny rock, a robot that lit up, a picture of a fluffy cat. Then it was Sophia's turn. She walked to the front of the class, her heart beating a little faster. She took a deep breath and smiled.
"This is Sparky, my dragon," she announced. "He loves to fly and breathe pretend fire!"
Some children giggled, some gasped, and some even hid their faces. Sophia wasn’t sure what to do. Then, she remembered Grandpa's words about courage. She puffed up her chest and said, "Sparky isn't scary! He's friendly and loves to make new friends!"
Sophia told the class all about Sparky. She told them about his colorful scales, his love for cookies (just like her!), and how he helped her be brave when she felt scared. She even showed them how Sparky could "fly" around the classroom, making whooshing sounds and flapping his sparkly wings.
Soon, the whole class was laughing and making dragon noises. They pretended to fly with Sparky and even made him a throne out of building blocks. Sophia felt a warm glow in her heart. Sharing Sparky with her class wasn't as scary as she thought. In fact, it was a lot of fun!
Later, as Sophia and Grandpa walked home, hand-in-hand, she said, "Grandpa, I was a little scared at first, but then I remembered about being courageous, and it helped me have fun!"
Grandpa smiled, "That's my girl! Remember, Sophia, even the smallest spark of courage can light up a whole room!"
And as Sophia hugged Sparky goodnight, she knew that Grandpa was right.
