One dusky evening, as the stars tiptoed into the sky, Riley wandered down the forest path with a lantern swinging from her hand. The air smelled of pine and adventure. Just as Riley rounded a bend, there came a sneeze so enormous it blew out the lantern flame.
“Who’s there?” Riley called, blinking in the dark.
A trembly voice replied, “Oh dear—sorry! That was me. My sneezes make sparks. I can’t help it.”
Out from behind a fern stepped a small dragon—no bigger than a pony—with scales that shimmered green and gold. His wings drooped like soggy laundry.
“I’m Ember,” said the dragon. “I, um… don’t like the dark.”
Riley tilted her head. “A dragon afraid of the dark? But you make light!”
“I know,” Ember sighed, letting out a nervous puff of smoke. “But when my flame goes out, it’s so dark, and every shadow looks like a hungry mountain troll.”
Riley smiled. “There aren’t any trolls here. Just trees that need a bedtime hug.”
Ember gave a shaky laugh. “Trees don’t need hugs.”
“Everyone does sometimes,” said Riley. “Even dragons.”
Together, they tried to relight the lantern, but Ember’s flame flickered weakly. So Riley told a silly story about a dragon who roasted marshmallows by accident—his own tail, too! Ember giggled so hard that a spark popped from his nose and whoosh—the lantern flared back to life.
As they walked, Riley noticed how the moonlight caught on Ember’s scales, turning them silver-blue. “See? The dark isn’t empty,” Riley said softly. “It’s full of light you just have to look for.”
Ember peered up at the sky. Stars shimmered like tiny fires far above. “It’s… beautiful,” he whispered. “I never saw it before.”
They sat together until the lantern burned low, the dragon’s tail curled gently around Riley like a warm blanket. When it was time to go, Ember lifted his wings proudly.
“Maybe the dark isn’t so scary,” he said. “It’s where the stars live.”
Riley nodded, smiling sleepily. “And where friends find courage.”
That night, as Ember flew across the moonlit sky, he carried no fear—only the quiet glow of knowing that light and darkness both have their own kind of beauty.