There was a terrible thunder storm that night, full of thunder and pounding rain. She wasn't surprised to here a small scream down the hall. To a two year old boy, she thought, it must seem as if the world is falling apart.
He was curled up in a circle, hidden underneath the blankets of his small child's bed. She pulled back the sheets a little and whispered to him softly. "Jakey, its okay. Mommy's here."
The terrified round bundled under the sheets was less a young boy than a small wonder. Curled up on the bed was a tiny dragon, larger than the little boy, but still very small for a dragon. His head was cradled between his arms and his tail curled up to his mouth where he was sucking on the end of it. She ran her hand down his neck and rubbed on his back, marveling at how soft the tiny scales were. The wings her hand ran between seemed so small and delicate, not even the size of her hand. Lightening flashed again illuminating the brilliant color of the scales. The body which had begun to relax at her touch crunched up again.
"Oh, my Jake. It's okay. It's okay Jake. It's just the storm. Mommy's here." She reached down to pick him up. He let the tail fall from his mouth and wrapped his arms around her neck burying his face in her shoulder. "Do you want to come sleep in Mommy and Daddy's room?" Those glowing black eyes looked up at her and his head slowly nodded up and down.
"Alright," she said, gently setting him on the bed. "I need you to calm down, then. Go back to the other way." She reached over and gently wiped the tears that still stained his cheek. The little red dragon head looked down.
"Okay," he mumbled in his child's voice. The dragon slowly melted into the boy, still frightened, still with those gleaming eyes. She swore she could see small fires slowly melting away, all around his skin. Then she picked him up and took him to bed.