by Claudia Carranza
The princess woke up in her bed. She stretched out of her purple blankets and her purple pillows. The sun was bright and happy and its light danced through the window, passed her purple curtains, and onto the purple carpet on her bedroom floor.
The princess flung her purple night gown into the laundry basket. She put on a pretty dress. It was sparkly and had little purple flowers on the sleeves. She always felt pretty when she wore her purple flower dress.
She sat down at her vanity. In the mirror, her reflection smiled back at her. She picked up her hair brush and brushed her brown curly hair. Then, she stood up and went to the balcony, to watch the clouds making shapes in the bright blue sky.
The clouds always made pretty shapes. Today, the clouds were making bunny shapes, and turtle shapes, and train shapes, and worm shapes. Then, the clouds made a dragon shape! The shape was dark blue, and had a shiny silver belly.
Oh no! It wasn’t a cloud! It was a real dragon! The big blue dragon swooped down toward the balcony.
"Oh no," the princess cried out.
She turned and ran back into her bedroom. The dragon landed on the purple balcony and roared. The princess ran out of her room and down the stairs into the pink and purple ballroom. The dragon followed, knocking over the bed with his tail. In the ballroom, the princess found a floor lamp. She picked it up and turned to face her foe, brandishing the lamp like a wizard's staff.
The dragon charged. The princess swung her lamp. The dragon ducked to one side and lashed out with his tail. The princess blocked with her lamp and bonked the dragon on the head. The dragon sat back on his haunches and cried big dragon teardrops.
"Ow, Princess! Ow! My head," sobbed the dragon.
"Oh, I'm sorry dragon," said the princess with remorse, lowering her lamp and approaching to give the dragon a kiss on his head to make the hurt go away.
Just as she drew near, the dragon turned his great head toward her, opened his mouth, and ate her.
“Daddy,” Ahlaura cried out, laughing. Daddy’s hand held the soft blue dragon toy and the princess doll at the same time. His big hand hid the princess against the stuffed dragon's side. He made the dragon and the princess doll whoosh around the purple plastic castle.
Ahlaura jumped up and down. Daddy fell to his back as he tried to keep the dragon swopping and whooshing. Then, Ahlaura wiggled her fingers on Daddy’s tummy, making him laugh and drop the soft dragon toy and the princess doll.
“Alright, you two,” said Mommy from the doorway, smiling. “It’s time for dinner. Clean up and wash hands, please.”
“Okay,” said Ahlaura, picking up her princess doll. “Come on, Daddy. Let’s clean up and eat dinner.”
