‘The Squashbuckler Diaries’ are the daily tales of Joy Shelley’s Life in the Dream. The ‘Lost in Dreams’ books will tell the story of what happens to her at ages 6, 9, 12, 15, and so on. The diaries tell us what happens before, after, and between the books.

#54: What Am I Doing? (In Prison, Part 2)

“I like being in a prison with you,” Dragon Little told Dragon Father after they played for half an hour.

Dragon Father crooked his head and looked at her.

“It’s fun. Can we do it more?”

Dragon Father rubbed his cheek, seemingly upset. He stood up and walked back and forth in the Dead Pirate of Dead Skull Island’s cell.

“Yeah, it is fun, isn’t it?” he said.

“Yeah! Come on, play with me!”

He froze again. For a moment, my sharp dragon eyes caught a clear sight of his face from the cell’s window, all the way from my high vantage point. He seemed to be on the verge of tears. But that face lasted only a few seconds.

My sharp dragon ears heard him whisper to himself, “What am I doing? Why am I fighting all the time? Why aren’t I raising you like a normal… kid?”

“Come on, play with me!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Dragon Father sat down in front of his daughter. “I’ve got a few more games we can play. Want to hear?”

“Yai!”

—Told by The Red Dragon


See how I came up with the idea for this post:



#55: We're Busy Here (In Prison, Part 3)

#53: The Beeping Nose (In Prison, Part 1)