Grandma says that when the wind whispers through the schoolyard, it tells secrets of a sleepy dragon! One morning, Evelyn skipped to school with Grandma, her backpack bouncing. "Do dragons like school, Grandma?" Evelyn asked.
"Well," Grandma chuckled, "this one does! He loves stories and learned to be brave at school."
Evelyn's classroom was bright and cheerful. She loved dipping her paintbrush in colors that looked like the ocean! "Look!" she shouted, showing her picture to her friend. "It's a fish, and it's learning to be brave like the dragon!"
Suddenly, the lights flickered! A spooky wind whooshed through the room, making the papers on the walls dance. Evelyn felt a little scared.
"Don't worry," her friend whispered. "It's just the dragon's breath! He's just saying hello."
Then, they heard a deep, rumbly voice. "Helloooo," it echoed. Evelyn peeked behind the bookshelf, but all she saw was a sparkly scale. It was purple and green, just like her picture!
At lunchtime, the wind returned, rustling the leaves outside. Evelyn held onto her juice box, her heart thumping. Then, she remembered what Grandma said about the dragon being brave. Evelyn took a deep breath.
She marched outside and shouted, "Hello, dragon! I'm Evelyn. Want to play hide-and-seek?"
The wind became quiet. Then, a gentle breeze tickled her cheek. Evelyn giggled. She knew the dragon was playing!
She peeked behind the swings and under the slide. No dragon. Then, she saw it – a shimmering, colorful tail disappearing around the corner! Evelyn chased after it, feeling braver with each step.
She followed the tail to the school library. The door creaked open as if inviting her inside.
Evelyn crept in. The library was dark and mysterious, filled with the smell of old books. She heard a soft snoring sound coming from behind a tall stack of books.
Evelyn peeked around the bookshelf. There, curled up asleep, was a small, colorful dragon! It was even more beautiful than she imagined, with scales that shimmered like jewels and kind, sleepy eyes.
Evelyn knew dragons breathed fire, but this dragon’s breath smelled like cinnamon and sunshine. She realized the dragon wasn’t scary at all, just a little lonely.
She sat down beside the dragon and whispered, “Hi. I like your scales.” The dragon opened one eye, then the other, and gave a tiny puff of smoke from its nose that smelled like popcorn!
Evelyn knew then that even dragons get scared sometimes. But like Grandma said, we can learn to be brave, even when things feel spooky. And sometimes, the scariest-looking creatures are just looking for a friend.
