right?” Cardboard had a short lifespan, particularly when wielded with
four-year-old enthusiasm.
She grinned. “You
assume I can’t fight.”
Not anymore. “If
your sword doesn’t break, you aren’t having any fun.” And fun was the point of the afternoon. Elsie took her Silly Jar assignments
very seriously. At least this one
wouldn’t scorch the couch cushions—Nell had been unimpressed with the
aftermath of toasting marshmallows in a pillow fort.
It was hardly Jamie’s fault Aervyn had decided to dragon-roast
his marshmallows. Apparently
dragons didn’t have very good aim.
Aervyn’s bouncing was getting wilder. Time to go entertain an impatient princess. Jamie wiggled his fingers, and Elsie’s
glittery sword lit up.
She managed not to swallow her marker when it happened. Good. One witch was getting a little more used to silly
antics. Jamie grinned and waved at
the back yard. “Let’s go—our
princess awaits.” It was hard to
do much permanent damage outside.
Elsie picked up her sword, giggling. “Just so I have the storyline straight here. The dragon and
the knight are best friends, and we have to go rescue the princess, which
basically involves fighting her, I mean him, into submission?”
“Yup.” And the
dragon sometimes switched allegiance mid-fight, but he figured the laws of the
land didn’t require that he tell her that just yet. “And no porting, since you can’t, but there’s probably no
way Aervyn’s feet are going to stay on the ground.” Elsie’s probably wouldn’t either—Aervyn was pretty
convinced dragons needed to fly, and he was more than capable of helping her do
it.
She rolled her eyes and opened the back door. “I can’t believe you do this on
Mondays, and go to investor meetings on Tuesdays. You have a really weird life.”
That caught his attention. “You’re not going to the meeting?”
“No. I’m just a
small fish, and I’ve already seen the prototype.” Elsie’s eyes twinkled. “But I’ll make sure Lizard gets there.”
Jamie grinned. Elsie was becoming a pretty cool witch. “You lead a fairly weird life yourself, you know.”
Elsie looked down at her glowing sword. “I guess I do.”
It took almost twenty minutes to rescue the princess, but only
half that for Aervyn to nearly fly Elsie into the branches of the big climbing
tree. And if Jamie could have
bottled the giggles from the event, he could have cured the world of
depression.
His good deed for the day done, Jamie leaned contentedly against
the tree, soaking in the late afternoon sun. He watched as Aervyn climbed into Elsie’s lap, still
cuddling the bedraggled remnants of his weapon. “You’re an awesome dragon, Elsie-Belsie. Sorry I broke your sword.”
Elsie looked over at the two halves lying on the grass. “It’s okay. I bet I can find glitter glue and some of the pink tape we
used on Gertrude Geronimo and fix it right back up.”
Jamie grinned. As a
veteran of glitter-glue repairs, he was pretty sure Elsie’s sword was beyond
redemption.
His nephew snuggled in for some post-rescue cuddles. “You make a really good kid,
Elsie-Belsie. I hope you never
grow up.”
She tried to hide it, but Jamie felt the pain hit her eyes and
mind. He shielded Aervyn, sure she
didn’t want him to know—and pondered. Some pieces of the Elsie-in-progress were in pretty good
shape. But he was getting the
sudden feeling that some of them made her bedraggled sword look good.
Change was hard. Even when you were a brave and mighty dragon.
~ ~ ~
--------------------------------------
To: [email protected]
From:
Jennie Adams < [email protected] >
Subject:
Re: Perhaps I am a silly old man.
--------------------------------------
Dear
Melvin,
Your pendants have never been wrong—but they don’t always
speak plainly, either.
four-year-old enthusiasm.
She grinned. “You
assume I can’t fight.”
Not anymore. “If
your sword doesn’t break, you aren’t having any fun.” And fun was the point of the afternoon. Elsie took her Silly Jar assignments
very seriously. At least this one
wouldn’t scorch the couch cushions—Nell had been unimpressed with the
aftermath of toasting marshmallows in a pillow fort.
It was hardly Jamie’s fault Aervyn had decided to dragon-roast
his marshmallows. Apparently
dragons didn’t have very good aim.
Aervyn’s bouncing was getting wilder. Time to go entertain an impatient princess. Jamie wiggled his fingers, and Elsie’s
glittery sword lit up.
She managed not to swallow her marker when it happened. Good. One witch was getting a little more used to silly
antics. Jamie grinned and waved at
the back yard. “Let’s go—our
princess awaits.” It was hard to
do much permanent damage outside.
Elsie picked up her sword, giggling. “Just so I have the storyline straight here. The dragon and
the knight are best friends, and we have to go rescue the princess, which
basically involves fighting her, I mean him, into submission?”
“Yup.” And the
dragon sometimes switched allegiance mid-fight, but he figured the laws of the
land didn’t require that he tell her that just yet. “And no porting, since you can’t, but there’s probably no
way Aervyn’s feet are going to stay on the ground.” Elsie’s probably wouldn’t either—Aervyn was pretty
convinced dragons needed to fly, and he was more than capable of helping her do
it.
She rolled her eyes and opened the back door. “I can’t believe you do this on
Mondays, and go to investor meetings on Tuesdays. You have a really weird life.”
That caught his attention. “You’re not going to the meeting?”
“No. I’m just a
small fish, and I’ve already seen the prototype.” Elsie’s eyes twinkled. “But I’ll make sure Lizard gets there.”
Jamie grinned. Elsie was becoming a pretty cool witch. “You lead a fairly weird life yourself, you know.”
Elsie looked down at her glowing sword. “I guess I do.”
It took almost twenty minutes to rescue the princess, but only
half that for Aervyn to nearly fly Elsie into the branches of the big climbing
tree. And if Jamie could have
bottled the giggles from the event, he could have cured the world of
depression.
His good deed for the day done, Jamie leaned contentedly against
the tree, soaking in the late afternoon sun. He watched as Aervyn climbed into Elsie’s lap, still
cuddling the bedraggled remnants of his weapon. “You’re an awesome dragon, Elsie-Belsie. Sorry I broke your sword.”
Elsie looked over at the two halves lying on the grass. “It’s okay. I bet I can find glitter glue and some of the pink tape we
used on Gertrude Geronimo and fix it right back up.”
Jamie grinned. As a
veteran of glitter-glue repairs, he was pretty sure Elsie’s sword was beyond
redemption.
His nephew snuggled in for some post-rescue cuddles. “You make a really good kid,
Elsie-Belsie. I hope you never
grow up.”
She tried to hide it, but Jamie felt the pain hit her eyes and
mind. He shielded Aervyn, sure she
didn’t want him to know—and pondered. Some pieces of the Elsie-in-progress were in pretty good
shape. But he was getting the
sudden feeling that some of them made her bedraggled sword look good.
Change was hard. Even when you were a brave and mighty dragon.
~ ~ ~
--------------------------------------
To: [email protected]
From:
Jennie Adams < [email protected] >
Subject:
Re: Perhaps I am a silly old man.
--------------------------------------
Dear
Melvin,
Your pendants have never been wrong—but they don’t always
speak plainly, either.
Similar Books
