Rosie the Twilight Dragon, page 3
And with that, the little cat-bat fluttered off into the glowing forest below.
Rosie felt the magic of the net tugging gently. The daydreams were sinking lower!
Looking down, Rosie saw a very strange thing. Reaching up from between the trees were three polished metal archways, shining like burnished gold. They stretched high into the sky, disappearing into the clouds up above. Sunset rays!
A comforting heat radiated from the rays, like concrete after a sunny day.
“This must be the ray station,” Rosie called to her friends. “Let’s go find the stationmaster.”
With the net of daydreams leading the way, the Night Dragons drifted slowly down. As they landed on the floor of the forest, something fluttered up to Rosie. Had GlidyCat returned?
Sadly, no. Before her was a large pink-and-brown moth with a soft, fuzzy body. It had impressively long and curly antennae and an extremely grumpy expression.
“Hello! Are you the ray stationmaster, by any chance?” Rosie asked politely.
“Yes, I am,” replied the moth. “What are you doing here? I have just polished up the rays with my wings, and now you three come along, dropping dragon dust all over them.”
“We didn’t drop anything on them!” said Stella hotly.
Rosie shot her friend a warning look. She knew how much Stella hated it when people were mean, but they had to be as nice as possible to this moth.
“Sorry about that! We’d like to ride a ray up to the daydream maker,” explained Rosie.
“I only let those with very good reasons travel on the rays,” said the moth sniffily.
“We HAVE a very good reason,” said Rosie. “See all these daydream bubbles? They are damaged and need to be repaired. Until they are fixed, evening cannot fall in the Magic Forest.”
The moth conductor curled and uncurled his antennae thoughtfully. “Hmm. That is a good reason,” the moth agreed. “Okay, you may ride a ray.”
Rosie beamed at her friends. She had thought that this was going to be much harder!
But the moth raised one of his six legs into the air. “However! Only ONE of you may travel. And then there is the question of payment.”
“Question of payment?” Phoebe repeated, looking worried.
“You can’t charge us!” Stella spluttered. “We don’t have any money. And anyway, we’re trying to help the forest!”
“Nonetheless, payment is required,” the stationmaster said flatly. “Isn’t that right, conductor?”
There was a fluttering of wings, and another moth slid down one of the rays, jumping off onto a nearby branch at the last moment.
The second moth looked just like a smaller version of the stationmaster, except for one important thing. He was smiling.
“Hi!” he said cheerily. “Do you want to use the ray?”
“Yes, please,” said Rosie. “We really need to. But the stationmaster has said that we need to pay?”
The little moth waved his antennae around. “Don’t mind Dad,” he whispered. “He looks grumpy, but he’s actually a total softy.”
Rosie wasn’t quite sure she believed this. “How much does it cost to ride a ray?” she asked.
The little moth coughed and then spoke in an official-sounding voice. “The cost of riding is one bedtime story.”
The Night Dragons looked at one another in delight. This was the kind of payment they could definitely afford!
“It has to be an excellent story, though,” warned the little moth. “Which one of you is going to tell it?”
“That’s easy,” said Stella. “It HAS to be you, Rosie.”
Phoebe nodded. “You’re the best storyteller,” she said to Rosie. “And you love doing it, right?”
Rosie smiled, but she felt a bit nervous. It was true that she loved making up stories. But usually she did it just for fun. She’d never had to invent one that mattered so much!
The bigger moth fluttered over and came to rest in front of her. He crossed two legs impatiently. “Well?” he said. “We can’t wait all day, you know.”
“It’s not like nighttime is about to fall anytime soon,” muttered Stella.
Rosie thought fast. She often put her friends into the stories she told at their sleepovers. They always seemed to enjoy that. Maybe the moths would like it, too?
It was worth a try.
“Once upon a time, there were two moths,” she began. “They were beautiful brown-and-pink moths, and they lived together in the special place where the rays of sunset lifted up to the sky.”
The little moth fluttered his wings excitedly. “Just like us, Dad!”
The younger moth leaned forward, listening intently. Even the grumpy dad moth seemed interested.
Rosie closed her eyes and let the story flow out of her. Often when Rosie was telling a story, it didn’t really feel like she was making it up at all. It was more like she was unfurling the story that was rolled up inside her.
This story was like that. It was about a brave little moth and his dad, who were going to a midnight ball on the moon. Their wings were specially painted with stardust so they would shine brightly in the pale light. Some friendly Night Dragons gave the moths a lift up to the moon. Then the moths danced so beautifully, they were made the king and prince of the Midnight Moon Ball.
While she was talking, Rosie almost forgot where she was. This happened when she was telling a story. She got so lost in it that she didn’t think about anything else but the tale itself.
When she finished, she slowly opened one eye and then the other. It all came flooding back. She was a Night Dragon in the Magic Forest. And she was telling a grumpy moth and his son a story in exchange for a trip to the daydream maker.
“That was great!” said the little moth, fluttering happily. “Don’t you think, Dad?”
The bigger moth sat very still, his six legs all clasped together before him.
“It … was … beautiful.” He sighed. His voice sounded quite different. Instead of grouchy, the moth now sounded peaceful and relaxed. “I haven’t heard a story like that since I was a caterpillar.” He gave a huge yawn and stretched two of his legs. “It has made me very sleepy. I’m going to have a little nap now.”
“So, can I catch one of the rays?” Rosie asked.
“You sure can! Hop on,” said the little moth cheerfully. “I’ll take you up right away.”
“You’re going to leave?” said the dad moth, yawning. “Wouldn’t you like to stay and tell more stories?”
“Sorry, but we need to get these daydreams repaired,” said Rosie firmly. “Daydreaming is where stories come from, after all. If we run out of daydreams, there won’t be any more stories.”
That woke the moth up. He sprang to his feet—all six of them.
“Quickly then, Mothew!” he said, calling to the smaller moth. “Take this Night Dragon up to the daydream maker. You know the way, don’t you?”
“Absolutely!” said Mothew proudly.
He flew over to where the gleaming rays rose from the treetops. The Night Dragons followed behind.
Rosie gasped. From a distance, the rays looked very steady and still. But now that she was up close, Rosie saw that was not the case. The rays were in motion, like a sort of magical escalator. Only they were MUCH faster than any escalator Rosie had ever been on!
“I’m a little nervous,” Rosie admitted to Mothew, looking up at the fast-moving rays.
“Don’t be,” said the little moth. “Just hold on to the sides, and don’t let go. We will be traveling very fast and very high.”
Rosie gulped. This was not very reassuring!
Stella and Phoebe handed her the other strings holding the net of daydreams together.
“Don’t let go of this, either,” said Stella. “It would be terrible if the daydreams escaped while you were on your way up.”
“And hopefully you can find where to get them fixed as soon as possible. They’re looking even murkier now,” added Phoebe.
Phoebe was right. The images inside the bubbles were no longer visible at all. They were completely covered by a thick, murky mist.
Rosie started to feel really worried. If only her friends were coming with her! But there was no time to think about that right now. She had to focus on catching this ray. It sped by at top speed. Rosie had a bad feeling that she might slip off when she tried to climb on board.
The net of daydreams pulled gently as she moved toward the ray. They were definitely getting heavier and sadder.
Rosie took a deep breath. She was going to do this, no matter what.
With a beat of her wings, Rosie leapt up and landed on the closest ray. Instantly, she began to whoosh up into the sky. It was kind of like surfing, but in the air.
Mothew jumped on behind her. “Off we go!” he called. “I’ll take you to the head cloud. Someone there will be able to help you, I’m sure.”
The ray of light was warm and smooth beneath Rosie’s claws, like a slide on a hot day. The strangest thing was that she felt like she was sticking to it, almost like a magnet. It was odd, but at least it didn’t feel like she was going to fall off.
Rosie felt a flash of excitement as she zoomed up. She was heading to the clouds! She had often imagined creatures living up there. In fact, Rosie had created whole cloud cities in her mind during boring classes at school. But she never really, truly thought it was possible.
“We’re halfway there!” announced Mothew. “Watch out, we start going really fast now.”
Rosie was about to ask if it was possible to go faster than they already were. But before she could speak, the ray leapt forward. It was like it had moved into a new gear! They were now traveling more swiftly than ever.
Faster and faster they went, speeding toward the puffy clouds above. The higher they traveled, the harder it was to breathe deeply.
Rosie started to feel a little dizzy. Bright lights swam before her eyes. Was that because of the thin air?
“Fire Sparks!” shouted Mothew.
With a shiver, Rosie saw that Mothew was right. The lights were Fire Sparks. And looking down, Rosie saw that hundreds more were swarming up the sunset ray toward her!
GlidyCat whooshed into view. The little cat-bat always turned up when Rosie was in trouble!
She heard GlidyCat’s voice in her ear. “Rosie, focus! Try not to lose your temper. And whatever you do, don’t let go of the ray!”
Again, Rosie wished her friends were here. How was she going to fight these sparks on her own?
Rosie held on tight as the gleaming sparks chased her on the ray, crackling loudly and burning so brightly that it was hard to see. She swished at the sparks with her tail, trying to get them out of her way. But it was no good. There were just too many Fire Sparks swarming around the net of daydream bubbles.
Rosie felt hot and annoyed. The Fire Sparks always made her feel like that. But honestly, it would be terrible to get this far only to have the bubbles destroyed before she could get them to the daydream maker!
She tried to roar, but the air was so thin that her roar came out pale and weak. It only put out a handful of the sparks.
“I’ll help!” GlidyCat called, and she zoomed around, beating at the sparks with her wings.
“Me too!” Mothew shouted, trying to do the same with his tiny moth wings.
It was kind and brave of them both, but they were very small creatures, and there were a lot of sparks.
“I wish Phoebe and Stella were here,” Rosie groaned. She just knew that together they’d be able to figure out what to do.
“Coming right up!” called a cheery voice.
It sounded like Stella, but that wasn’t possible, was it? They were still down below! Gripping on to the sunset ray as tightly as she could, Rosie looked down.
There, in the distance, were Stella and Phoebe! They were zooming up the other two rays toward her!
The Fire Sparks buzzed angrily. They clearly weren’t happy to see the other Night Dragons. In fact, they were so loud that when Phoebe shouted something, Rosie couldn’t make out the words properly. It sounded like Phoebe had said, “Daydream your way through.”
Phoebe and Stella were traveling fast, but they were still a long way down.
Just then, Rosie heard another noise. It was one of the daydream bubbles popping. Oh no! She watched in horror as its silvery dust floated away on the wind.
Moments later, another popped.
And another.
Rosie had to do something, and she had to do it now! She thought about what Phoebe had said. Or what she thought Phoebe had said. Daydream your way through?
Maybe if she imagined herself getting through the swarm of Fire Sparks, she actually would get through.
Rosie wasn’t at all sure this would work. But I am in the Magic Forest, Rosie reminded herself. Just about anything is possible here!
Swishing her tail one more time at the mass of crackling Fire Sparks, Rosie closed her eyes. She pictured herself putting her head down and pushing through the sparks at top speed. She imagined GlidyCat and Mothew with her, as well as her besties. They were all zooming up the sunset rays, side by side, until they arrived safely at the daydream maker.
It was a great daydream and it felt weirdly real. Rosie opened her eyes. Somehow, she knew what to do.
I am the Twilight Dragon, she reminded herself. And I’m on a sunset ray, which is most powerful and magical at twilight.
She took a deep breath and roared as loudly as she could. This was her roar, brimming with twilight power. It swirled and twirled in the most beautiful pinks and purples and a hint of yellow. The roar hit the bright, shining gold of the sunset ray and bounced off it again, like a ball of pure Night Dragon energy. The sunset ray had made Rosie’s roar even stronger!
The roar surrounded the angry Fire Sparks so that Rosie could no longer see them. She heard fizzing sounds, like a candle being snuffed out. As the mist cleared, Rosie looked around. She couldn’t see a single Fire Spark! She’d destroyed them!
Up ahead floated a huge, puffy white cloud. The cloud’s edges were tinged with gold from the sun. Rosie somehow knew it was the cloud she was looking for. She raced along the ray, GlidyCat and Mothew by her side.
“You did it!” cried a voice.
“We knew you would!” added another one.
Rosie knew those voices. Looking back, she saw Phoebe and Stella right behind her!
“Thanks for the daydreaming tip!” she called as they all whooshed along together. “How did you know?”
“Mothew’s dad told us,” Stella said.
“He’s our new best friend,” Phoebe explained when Rosie looked confused.
It was only then that Rosie spotted the brown-and-pink moth perched on Phoebe’s shoulder. He didn’t look grumpy anymore. In fact, he was smiling just like his son!
Rosie had so many questions, she didn’t know where to start. But it’s very hard to think straight when you’re whooshing along a sunset ray at top speed, high in the air.
“It felt wrong watching you head off on your own,” explained Stella. “So we made a deal with Mothew’s dad. We told him another story, and he let us catch a ray!”
Rosie tried not to burst out laughing. Stella was brilliant at convincing people to do things. It was kind of her superpower!
“I’ve never had such an adventure before,” said the dad moth excitedly. “And look, Son! We’re almost at the daydream maker now.”
“We sure are, Dad. Get ready to disembark, Night Dragons,” said Mothew in his official voice.
The puffy white-and-gold cloud loomed up ahead, and the ray looked like it went straight through the middle of it.
GlidyCat purred in Rosie’s ear. “You’re going to be fine now. I’ll see you again soon!”
“You’re not coming?” cried Rosie. She somehow felt better with GlidyCat by her side.
“You will be fine. You have your friends here.” Waving a wing in goodbye, GlidyCat flew off back toward the forest.
“Hold on!” warned Mothew. “This part can be bumpy.”
As they entered the cloud, Rosie gripped the ray even more tightly. A cold wind whipped around her, pushing her from side to side. She could hear the daydream bubbles rattling together in their net.
“It sure is bumpy!” yelled Stella from her ray.
She sounded like she was enjoying it, which made Rosie grin. Stella always wanted to go on the scariest rides at any amusement park. Flying through a windy cloud would be nothing to her!
Rosie wasn’t quite as enthusiastic about scary rides, and she was glad when they popped out the other side.
“Wow!” Phoebe gasped as the Dragon Girls climbed off their sunset rays and stepped onto the thick layer of cloud. “This place is amazing!”
The cloud stretched as far as Rosie could see. She had flown above the clouds in a plane before, but this was very different. It felt like visiting a new land—where everything was made of clouds! Nearby grew a puffy tree, and off in the distance loomed a big puffy mountain. Rosie took a cautious step forward. She knew that clouds in the normal world were made of water droplets. There was no way you could walk on that! But the clouds here seemed to be made of something more like snow, although it wasn’t cold. Even better, it was also slightly springy! But just how springy was it?
There was only one way to find out. Rosie tried jumping on the clouds. It was like bouncing on the best trampoline ever! The moment they saw her do this, Stella and Phoebe just had to join in, too, and soon all three Night Dragons were leaping around on the cloud.
“Great jumping, Night Dragons,” said the dad moth. “But don’t you have a job to do?”
Rosie stopped jumping right away. “Oops, you’re right,” she said.
“Have you noticed that the clouds keep changing shape?” asked Phoebe.
“Yes!” said Rosie, gazing about in wonder. “That cloud over there was shaped like a strawberry bush doing yoga. Now it looks like a turtle driving a car.”
“That’s right,” said Mothew, fluttering up above the group. “Everything changes here all the time. The only thing that doesn’t change its shape is the head cloud.”
