“Go into the ship of the Pirate Ninjas,” the lava creature said. “The Dollies say that the pirates have stolen many toys from many children, hoping they could sacrifice them to me. All the toys that are on the ship are now yours.”
“Really?!” Dragon Little’s eyes opened in excitement.
”Go,” the lava creature said, and slowly descended back into the lava, disappearing into it.
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Dragon Little, hands bound behind her back, leapt at the pirate ninja closest to her and bit his hand.
She was mad and angry and venomous and the fact they had stolen her only toys, which she called the Dollies, and now they had fallen down the volcano and were destroyed.
The bitten ninja shouted in pain.
Dragon used the fact that he was off balance to slam her head into his stomach and run forward, causing him to lose balance and fall into the volcano.
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“I’m going to crush you!” Dragon Little whispered at the ninja leading her down the ramp.
She had taken it quite personally that they had stolen the only toys she had, which she called the Dollies.
They were led to the edge of the ‘mouth’. “I’m going to crush all of you!” she raised her voice.
The Pirate Ninjas ignored her and began to bring down her Dollies from the ship as if they were a revered ancient relic.
“Those are my Dollies! You can’t have them! They’re mine! I’m going to destroy you!” she shouted at them.
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Dragon Little was crying the entire time.
When she could speak, she said, “They took my Dollies, Dad! They took my Dollies!”
These were the handful of small dolls that were Dragon Little’s only playthings in her cabin since the time I had met her.
“I know. We’ll get them back,” Dragon Father said.
“I want you to kill them!” she said. “I want you to kill them and get my Dollies.”
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One day, there was an unexpected raid.
Dragon Father had just appeared and walked into Dragon Little’s cabin to wake her up.
But before he could, ninja pirates climbed aboard Bonny’s Revenge from all sides. Four of them ran into the cabin and immediately came out with Dragon Father whose mouth was gagged and his feet and hands tied.
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There was silence for a long moment on the floor of the biggest bank in the galaxy.
Dragon Father had just confessed to being a villain and doing something awful to his former friend, who had trapped him now in the bank.
Three and a half year old Dragon Little stared at her father in disbelief. They had been fighting villains all her life. She had always seen him as the hero. And now he was a villain.
Then Dragon Little began to laugh. “You’re very funny, Dad!”
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Dragon Father sat on the floor of the largest bank in the galaxy, nursing his legs stretched out before him as if they hurt and couldn’t move.
When he told Dragon Little of the accident, just a few minutes ago, I believed that perhaps in his waking world, perhaps he cannot even walk. Perhaps he ist a human with no logs or legs that do not function. I have seen a few of those. In their dreams, some of them could walk and run and jump.
Ist that why he constantly dreams of adventure, doing flips in the air, jumping from rooftop to rooftop, and swinging from ropes?
With great pain, Dragon Father continued to speak.
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The figure looked at Dragon Father, still on the ground, still holding his legs in pain.
Dragon Little looked at Dragon Father, horrified at the last thing he had said.
“Tell them,” said the figure. “Tell them who I am.”
Dragon Father looked down at the ground for quite a while.
Then, in a soft almost tear-filled voice, said, “Joy.. this happened before you were born.”
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A figure who wasn’t there until now stepped out of the shadows. He was a wispy man of medium height and a big moustache. “Do I look like a villain?”
Dragon Little had her laser pistol and sword out and stepped between her father and this figure. “Take another step and I’ll put a hole in your butt!” she said.
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Dragon Father and Dragon Little arrived at the largest bank in the galaxy on a faraway planet.
“The King of the Galaxy is inside,” said Dragon Father told his daughter.
She nodded and took a step forward.
When he didn’t follow her, she looked back at him.
“Come on,” she grabbed his hand and began walking again.
He didn’t budge.
“I don’t think we should take this one,” he said.
I have never seen him this nervous before an adventure. At the time I couldn’t understand why. This was his dream, after all, his desires. Whatever he wants ist the thing that happens. At least the way I understand it. But I am not a dreamer.
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The adventures Dragon Father summons up may always have different villains, take place on different planets, and their tasks in the adventures are always different as well - but the adventures are more or less the same.
But sometimes - very rarely - Dragon Father’s adventures are completely different.
One of those times was when Dragon Little was still less than four years old.
The morning began as usual.
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On this day, Dragon Little woke up early and with a gasp.
She immediately jumped out of bed and ran out of her cabin. She looked around, clearly searching for her father.
She looked up. Most of the stars were gone from the sky.
She relaxed, no doubt certain now that her father had not yet appeared.
A mischievous smile appeared on her Dragon Little’s face. “Heh heh heh!” she cackled like a few of the villains in their adventures.
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Thank You the turtle brought Dragon Little and the small, wooden lifeboat to rest beside Bonny’s Revenge.
Dragon Little began to cry.
She jumped from the lifeboat to Thank You’s shell, then hugged him.
“It was so much fun that you came back, Thank You. So much fun!”
Thank You didn’t answer.
“But you can’t come back again. You can’t ever come back. Do you understand?”
Thank You looked at her.
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“Oh, so cool!” I heard what only sharp dragon’s ears could hear: a soft, muted gurgle that climbs through the water to its surface and then up, kilometers into the air and into my hiding place.
“Look at that!” I heard her say.
“Not so deep! Not so deep!” and then her voice was full of water.
The lifeboat floated upwards and she couldn’t contain it. Her voice was underwater for a second, then breathing air again. Her hands were tied to the ship, so she no doubt floated up with it, her legs not strong enough to cling to Thank You.
Within seconds, the boat buoyed up to the surface, still upside-down.
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When Dragon Little asked Thank You the turtle if he wanted to go on adventure with her, I was skeptical. ‘Adventure’ only happens when Dragon Father dreams it. When he ist gone, as he was now, villains, planets, locations do not just appear out of nowhere. When her father ist gone, Dragon Little can only ‘play’ in the emptiness he leaves behind.
But Dragon Little seemed confident.
“You wait for me right here, okay, Thank You?” she patted his back.
He nodded.
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The adventure was over. Dragon Father had vanished early in the adventure and never returned to finish it. Dragon Little was able to finish the adventure by herself and imprisoned the villain in the infinite prison in the belly of Bonny’s Revenge.
Dragon Little had parked Bonny’s Revenge back in Earth’s ocean and spent her time walking back and forth on the railing, keeping her balance.
Something bobbed up underneath her and she stopped to look.
It was a big sea turtle. He bobbed his head above water.
“Thank You!” Joy exclaimed. “Thank You! You’re back!”
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When Dragon Father appeared on the deck of Bonny’s Revenge, he found Dragon Little above him,standing in the crow’s nest.
He put his head on his forehead as if driving anxiety away.
“Uh, Joy, what are you doing?”
“I’m learning to do backflips!”
He exhaled. Then said calmly. “Say what, now?”
“I’m going to learn to do flips in the air like you!”
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I have heard a fellow dragons fly far away. I have heard the monsters.
And now… I listened farther.
I listened to those the missing voices.
Ah. There it was: The silence. There was no dust in the winds!
I smiled to myself happily. Oh, my my, how disappointed the monsters must be!
I listened more.
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I stood on the edge of the path out of the dream. Another small dragons step, and I would be out and flying among the dreams - something I haven’t done in four years.
But I didn’t dare move closer. They might be out there.
I realized now that with my supremely good hearing I have concentrated over the last four years on the inside of the dream rather than on the outside. Fear, perhaps, of learning that they are waiting for me just outside.
But now…
Now I was ready to at least listen.
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My wings needed stretching and, for a change, I decided to stretch them.
My hiding place felt my need and expanded.
I looked behind me. He outside of the dream was there. Just there. With all its dangers. With all its possibilities. With all its dreams.
Do I dare? Just take a few more steps and then… And then use my sharp dragon’s ears and listen?
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