Eva & the Dragon of Time

Somewhere between the stars and the things we haven’t dreamed of yet, a little magic is waiting for us.

Eva drove to school one morning and a huge dragon was sitting in her parking space. 

“Well,” she said, “that explains the email that said I would have to park in another spot today.”

A dragon was the school mascot, but they’d never gone so far as to get a real one and here one was shimmering with emerald scales, enormous purple wings and a small trail of smoke curling from his nostrils. 

“Are you Eva?” he asked.

“Yes and you’re in my parking space.”

The dragon made a little jump. “Excellent! I’ve been waiting for you.”

Eva was focused on getting to class, “Well, I have class in seven minutes.”

“Seven minutes!” exclaimed the dragon. “Why, that’s plenty of time for an adventure!”

Before Eva could object, the dragon lowered his wing and invited Eva onboard. She took one look around and decided to go for it. She climbed up. With a strong push of his wings they soared into the clouds, past the sun and through a curtain of sparkling stars. They flew into a world where mountains floated, rivers flowed upward, and trees grew tiny silver bells. They landed beside a magnificent castle.

“Welcome to the Kingdom of Someday,” said the dragon. “They’ve been expecting you.”

“Why me?” Eva asked.

“Because we needed someone who could plan a journey across seven kingdoms, navigate by the stars, remember the important details, and still think to bring a gift for someone she loves.”

Eva smiled. “I did pack snacks.”

“Of course you did.”

Together they crossed a bridge made of moonlight, sailed through an ocean of puffy clouds, and climbed a mountain, where the stars were close enough to touch. Eva plucked a star from the sky and put it in her pocket.  At the top, they found a little golden door.

“What’s inside?” Eva asked.

“Everything wonderful you haven’t experienced yet.”

Eva opened the door and saw zillions of beautiful moments. Places she would travel. Adventures she would have. People she hadn’t met yet who would one day love her dearly.

“Can I stay?” she whispered.

“You will live it all one day,” said the dragon. “But you have to live today first.”

And with that, they flew back through the stars and the puffy clouds, past the sun, and down into the parking lot at the high school.

Eva looked at her clock. Not a single minute had passed.

“How is that possible?” she asked.

The dragon winked. “Time works differently when you’re doing something magical.”

Eva tightened her backpack straps, and headed toward school.

“Oh, and Eva?” called the dragon. She turned. “You don’t have to have your whole life planned. Some of the best things won’t be on your list.”

Eva smiled and with that, the dragon spread his wings and disappeared into the morning sky. Eva looked at her clock. Not a single minute had passed. She walked into class, right on time.

By lunchtime, she was beginning to wonder if she’d imagined the whole thing, but later that afternoon, as she reached into her backpack, her fingers brushed against something small and still warm. She pulled it out - a tiny, glowing star. The very star she’d plucked from the sky on the mountain in the Kingdom of Someday.