Liam loved dinosaurs! He had a big, red dinosaur that he played with every day. Sometimes, Liam wished he could fly like a pterodactyl, his favorite dinosaur. "If only I had wings," he'd sigh.
One day, Liam was playing with his dinosaur in his room in Indianapolis. He tossed it in the air, making airplane noises. Suddenly, he felt a funny feeling, like a tickle in his tummy. He looked down, and to his surprise, he saw fluffy white clouds beneath his feet! "I'm flying!" he shouted, giggling.
The clouds were soft and bouncy, like giant marshmallows. He bounced higher and higher, the sky a beautiful mix of pink and lilac. That's when he saw her, a big, friendly dragon with scales that shimmered like jewels. "Wow, a real dragon!" Liam exclaimed, his eyes wide with wonder.
"Hello there, little one!" the dragon boomed, her voice as warm as sunshine. "What brings you to the clouds?"
Liam, a little shy at first, mumbled, "I...I wanted to fly like a pterodactyl. Then, I started flying like I had superpowers!"
The dragon chuckled, a sound like rumbling thunder. "Well, maybe you do have a superpower! But real strength comes from believing in yourself, you know? It's called self-confidence."
"Self-confi...dence?" Liam repeated, trying out the word.
"That's right!" the dragon said. "It means believing you can do amazing things, even if they seem impossible!" She flapped her giant wings, lifting them both even higher.
Liam thought about this. He had been scared at first when he started flying, but then it became fun! He had believed he could fly, and he did! "Like when I knew I could reach the cookie jar if I stacked up all my blocks?" he asked, remembering his triumph from last week.
"Exactly!" the dragon roared with laughter. "That's self-confidence! Now, how about we fly together? I'll show you some cool cloud shapes!"
They soared through the sky, the dragon pointing out clouds that looked like fluffy sheep, giant ice cream cones, and even a dinosaur! Liam laughed, feeling braver and happier than ever.
As the sun began to set, painting the sky in fiery orange and red, the dragon gently brought Liam back to his room. "Remember, Liam," she said, her eyes twinkling, "Always believe in yourself, just like you believed you could fly. You are braver and stronger than you think."
Liam nodded, a big smile on his face. He knew the dragon was right. He had flown with a dragon! From then on, whenever Liam felt unsure, he remembered the dragon's words and his adventure in the clouds. He knew that with self-confidence, he could soar to new heights, just like his friend, the dragon. He ran to find Sophia, his old, fluffy cat.
"Sophia! You wouldn’t believe what happened to me today!" he exclaimed, scooping her up in a hug. Sophia purred, happy to listen to Liam's story, even if she had heard it all before. She knew how important it was for Liam to believe in himself, and she would always be there to remind him, just like a good friend should.
