“Joy, come down!”
Dragon Father had brought Bonny’s Revenge to a stop in space and called his daughter down from the crow’s nest. They were almost within reach of The Night Planet.
“What!” she demanded after she came down.
“We shouldn’t go on this adventure, Joy. We’re not going to the Night Planet.”
I had seen him change his mind just moments earlier when he realized that his daughter, living in his dream, had never seen the suns completely set and had never seen a night. For some reason that made him stop.
“When have we not had an adventure? We’re doing this!” Dragon Little replied without thinking.
“Sorry, Joy. Look, the planet’s gone.”
As they both looked, the Night Planet vanished.
Dragon Little showed no surprise at a planet vanishing, only anger. She grabbed her father’s hands. “No it’s not!”
The planet returned.
Dragon Father took his hand back. “The wizards are gone. They’re not there anymore.”
The planet vanished.
Dragon Little squeezed his hand. “They ARE!”
The planet returned.
“Joy!” Dragon Father took his hand back and put it in front of her face with a warning finger. “That planet is dangerous for you!”
The planet vanished.
“When do we ever run from danger? We love danger!”
The planet returned.
“When you’re older!”
The planet vanished.
“I’m older now!”
The planet returned.
“Joy,” the planet disappeared, “there are some things you just don’t understand as a k--” but as he spoke, Dragon Little ran to the plank, jumped on, continued to run, and jumped off it and into space in the direction of where the planet had been.
“See you there slowpoke!” she shouted at him.
Dragon Father groaned loudly. He waited a few seconds, watching his little girl grow farther and farther away. He groaned again and the planet returned. “All right. We’re going to the Night Planet! But we’re going together!”
“Whatever!” she shouted, still hurtling through space with her arms open wide.
—Told by The Red Dragon