“When someone dies, Joy, they… they’re gone. They don’t come back.”

Dragon Father held two-and-a-half-year-old Dragon Little in his arms and leaned on the mast of Bonny’s Revenge. He had come back the next day, appearing out of nowhere as always, and Dragon Little was still upset. He had found her asleep on the floor of The Infinite Prison, near General Hawk’s cell (asleep) and Master Mind’s.

There would be no adventure today. Dragon Father had to speak with Dragon Little, and he seemed to be prepared for it.

“You know, Mary will always be here,” he touched her heart. “In our hearts. And here,” he tapped her temple, “in our memories. You remember her, right?”

Dragon Little nodded.

“And me, too. I will always remember her. And so will you.”

Dragon Little cried, “I don’t want her to die!”

“Death is final. I’m sorry. It’s final. You can’t take it back.” Dragon Little cried more, and Dragon Father’s face saddened. “You know,” he said. “Some people believe that a when a person dies, she’s not gone. That she has a soul. And that she looks at us from, uh, heaven, and makes sure we’re all right.”

Dragon Little looked up. “She looks at us?”

“Yes. I mean, some people believe that. I don’t. But yes, she can look down at us if you like, and take care of you. Okay?”

Dragon Little nodded, her sobbing slowing down. “Why did she die?”

Dragon Father winced. I assume he did not want to speak about the spear that pierced her body. He shrugged his shoulders, “Everybody dies eventually, Joy.”

She looked at him with sharp eyes. Then she cried again. “I don’t want you to die!!!”

Her crying was heart-wrenching, and Dragon Father almost cried as well when he said, “No, no, no! I’m not going to die for a long, long, long time!”

“I don’t want you to dieeeee!”

“No, no. I will not die. I will never die, Joy!”

She calmed down for a minute, then looked in his eyes again. Suddenly, she cried again. “I don’t want to die!”

“Joy!”

“I don’t want to dieeeeeeeeee!!!”

“Oh, Joy, Joy, Joy!” He hugged her tightly. “You will never die, Joy! You will never die!”

—Told by The Red Dragon

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