Prologue : About a Fluffy Dragon
Now every time that I look at myself
"I thought I told you, this world is not for you"
Reptilia – The Strokes
Back in the nice city of Cokeworth, around eight o'clock, Mr and Mrs Evans were trying to calm down their two little girls they had brought at the seaside during the day. It had been a beautiful saturday of July, warm and sunny enough to dive in the blue summer sea. They even had some raspberry ice cream for the girls, while Mr and Mrs Evans shared a waffle. And then, when they got into the car, their feet still full with sand, the parents realized that their evening would not be as peaceful and quiet as they had wished.
They had now washed their daughters and taken dinner, but there still wasn't the smallest improvement. The girls considered themselves as far too excited to go to bed at the first summon. The older one had still wet hair from the long bath their parents had made her took, and she was now shaking her head upside down to send small water drops on her little sister. The younger one was enjoying it very much and squeaking and running everywhere around the kitchen, her red hair dancing madly all around her head. The parents exchanged dark glances.
« Denis please, I'll finish to clear the table with Petunia while you take Lily to bed ? »
« All right honey. You little salamander, you come with me ! »
He made to take the younger girl in his arms and she squeaked even more loudly than before.
« Come on Lily, which story would you like us to read ? » he asked in order to calm her down. The young girl stopped running and took a moment to think. Then she looked at her dad :
« The dragon story ! The one with the knight ! »
« Ok, let's go then ! Petunia, you'll come with us ? »
Petunia looked offended.
« No ! It's still early ! And I'm too old for these baby stories. Besides, I'm helping mum, » she answered self-importantly.
« It's not for babies ! » cried Lily, stucking her tongue to her sister.
« Of course it's not for babies Lily, come on », said her father gently.
Lily finally turned her back and took her dad's hand.
« I'm not a baby. I'm five and nearly six months now, » she said to him.
« Sure Lily, you're a grown up little girl now. You go and take the book ? »
Some twenty minutes later, the five years old Lily closed the book carefully on her lap, her head rested on her dad's shoulder, but her eyes still open, looking thoughfully in front of her. She didn't really seemed to see the dimly sunlighted wall of her bedroom, in front of her. She finally said :
« Why Tristan killed the dragon, dad ? It's so mean the way he did it. » Her father looked embarrassed.
« Well, you know Lily dear, the dragon was a terrible creature, it was eating people. »
« Yes, but that's not right ! Miss Halley always says that we should not do to the others what we don't want them to do to us… »
« Your teacher is right of course Lily, but in that case, the dragon is a threat to the city and the people who lived in. What else Tristan could have done ? »
« I don't know », said Lily. « Maybe he could have tried to talk to him ? »
« Come on, Lily, we can't talk to a dragon… Anyway, dragons doesn't exist for real, you know that. »
« I wish they would ! »
« Really ? Look at this one, it seems quite dangerous ! »
« But I'm sure some dragons are nice. I like them. Maybe it's the people who is mean to their kind. »
« Well, Lily, this all very interesting, but now it's time for bed, and we'll talk about it tomorrow. »
But Lily whined.
« Already ? But Tuney is still up ! Why can she and I can't ? »
« She's older than you, as you very well know, little salamander. Come on ! Time to bed, so you'll be fit and well for tomorrow. »
It seemed indeed to change her mind because she jumped off the bed, and her father could hear her bare feet on the corridor floor to the bathroom. An eager Lily took the toothbrush and began to put the dentifrice conscientiously on it.
« Can you please set the bed for Marty Bear and Joe the Giraffe dad ? » she said loudly to her father, in a muffled voice.
Meanwhile, in her small bedroom, her father was humming at the window. He could hear his daughter's voice occasionnaly from the bathroom (« can I take my stripy pijy dad tonight ? The one with the bee ? ») and he would answered shortly. When she reappeared in the room, he closed the shutters, letting still go through a slight ray of dawning sunlight. He turned to her, as she was waiting for him to take her traditionnaly in his arms to put her in bed.
« You know Lily dear, you begin to be a bit heavy for me to do that », he said to her. But she stared back until he complied. « Fine, you win », he sighed. He set her comfortably through her sheets. Lily's was quite busy for a time, taking the soft giraffe in her owns arms and muttering something like « time to sleep, Joe Gi » to the toy. Her dad kissed her on the front and put a strand of her wavy hair behind her ear. « Sweet dreams, Lily dear », he said. She had closed her eyes, and didn't answered. Mr Evans was closing the door of the bedroom when he took a final glance to his marvelous, beautiful sleeping daughter. Then he froze. What was that in her arms ? He was quite sure that Joe the Giraffe had no scales. He tried to take a closer look from where he was standing. Surely, he had stayed in the sun too much this day, and he convinced himself that it was all in his imagination. He closed the door to join his wife and older daughter in the living-room.
Behind the very door however, carefully enclosed in the arms of the peacefully sleeping Lily, was a yellowish, rather fluffy, good-natured looking dragon.