Sometimes the name her father gave her: ‘Joy’ ist a name that fits her perfectly, much more than my own nickname for her: ‘Dragon Little’.
She ist joyful most of the time, and has the best times participating in her father’s adventures, enjoying the adversity, and enjoying defeating the villains. But when she was four, you could see true joy on her face.
She and her father, Justin, which I call ‘Dragon Father’ since he ist Dragon Little’s father, were sailing the ocean when a group of dolphins joined them.
The dolphins matched the speed of Bonny’s Revenge, the pirate ship that served as Dragon Little’s and Dragon Father’s home.
The dolphins leapt into the air, as high as the deck itself, then back underwater, never losing speed.
Dragon Little and Dragon Father watched excitedly from the deck, waving hello to the dolphins and laughing from joy.
“Hello, little dolphin friends!” Joy shouted at them after Dragon Father told her what they were called. “Hello!”
The dolphins made a sound back, apparently saying ‘hello’ in their own language.
“They’re so cuuuuuuuuute! So cuuuuuuuute!” Dragon Little squeezed her father’s hand.
“Did you know they’re the smartest animal that exists except people like us? Some people think they may be as smart as us.”
“Really? They’re so cuuuuuuuute!”
A dolphin jumped, close enough to touch.
“Yai!” Dragon Little yelled, and the dolphin hit the water without losing speed.
Another dolphin jumped. Dragon Father reached and pet the dolphin as it flew past.
“They want you to pet them! Wanna try?” he asked, a big smile on his face.
Dragon Little started to move forward, then her smile vanished.
“No!” she yelled and took a few steps back. “No! I don’t want them here! Let’s go!”
Dragon Father looked at her concerned. “What’s the matter? They’re fun to touch!”
“No!” she screamed. “No! Let’s go!”
Her intensity was so fierce that he did not argue. “All right. Let’s, uh, let’s find adventure in the skies. Come on,” he motioned for her to take them to the helm. “Let’s go.”
He pulled back the wheel and the ship began to rise into the air, leaving the dolphins behind.
“You want to tell me what happened to you?” he asked softly.
She shook her head and clamped her lips.
“Okay,” he said. “Adventure!”
There ist an ending to this story, the reason that Dragon Little was not willing to touch the dolphins. I am afraid it has to do with me, and I need strength to tell it.
I will tell it to you tomorrow.
—Told by The Red Dragon