"What are you doing?" asked her mother.
"Nothing," answered her daughter.
"You're standing on a book, on the sidewalk. Come inside. Lunch is almost ready."
"I'll come in later, okay?"
"Nope. Not okay. What's gong on?"
"Nothing."
"Tell me," said her mother, standing next to her.
"There's a dragon in the book who wants to come out. I told him he's too big to fit inside the house, so he said to take him outside where there would be enough room."
"I see," said her mother. "Is he a nice dragon?"
"Yes. He's very nice, it's just that he's really big."
"Doesn't he like the book he's in?"
"No. The other dragons are mean to him because he's smaller than they are and he's green."
"Hmmm. Does he know that if you let him out, he'll be in a different world?"
"I told him."
"Did you tell them there are no other dragons around here?"
"He said that was good then no one would bite him."
"They bit him?"
"Sometimes. Not always."
"Is he magic? Can he make himself smaller?"
"I think so."
"Small enough to fit inside the house until we can find a place for him to live?"
"Maybe."
"Well, then let him out."
"Really?" she said, excitedly.
"Why not," sighed her mother. "It won't be the first time. Remember the rabbits?
"I do," laughed her daughter. "Peter was very polite."
"Yes, but his mother wasn't happy that you took him out of the book."
"Do you think the dragon has a mother?"
"I think most everything has a mother.
"I can probably put him back, if he wants to go home."
"Probably?"
"Maybe," she said, frowning. "I think so."
"Does the dragon know that he could be stuck here forever?"
"I doubt it."
"You might want to tell him. There's a strong possibility that he'll get lonely after awhile."
"If I step off the book, he might fly out."
I'll hold it closed, until you ask him to stay in the pages while you talk."
Her mother held the book closed, while her daughter sat on the sidewalk next to the book and bent over it.
"I have to talk to you," she whispered. "But you can't come out just yet. Will you stay in the book, if I turn to your page?"
The book jumped a little.
"I think that means he agrees."
"You think that's what it means?" asked her mother, still holding the book closed.
"I can open it now," she said, pushing her mother's hands away. "It's okay."
She opened the book and turned the pages, until she came to the picture of a beautiful green dragon, The dragon snorted and nodded at her.
"Once you're in my world, I'm not sure I can put you back into the book if you want to go home."
The dragon tilted his head to one side and seemed to be thinking about what she said.
"I wouldn't want you to be here forever, if you'd rather be at home. I mean where I live it's nice, but it's not nice everywhere. If people see you, them might try to kill you, or worse. You might not be happy here, all alone, or just with me. At home you're bitten, now and then, but maybe you're still growing and soon you could end up bigger than the other dragons around you."
That made the dragon back up. He kind of smiled and wisps of smoke puffed out of his nostrils.
Everyone was quiet while the dragon went over his options.
"I'll still visit with you," said the girl. "If you want to come out later, we can maybe find a way to do it."
Part of a gigantic claw came out of the book. She giggled and ran her finger over it. "Yes, we can still say hello."
The dragon removed his claw and turned to go.
"Good choice," she said. "See you tomorrow and bite the other dragons, if they try to hurt you."
She closed the book and stood up. Her mother stood up as well.
"He really was a big dragon," said her mother.
"I know."
They held hands on the way back to the house. The book was under her daughter's arm and no one saw the tip of a green scaled tail, dragging along behind them.
"What's for lunch," asked her daughter.
"Pancakes."
"I love pancakes."
I love them too, thought the dragon, happily.
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