‘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.

#328: The Red Dragon’s Wail, Part 2

I listened to his voice as he wailed back. 

It was wordless. It was an animalistic wail, except that it was not made by an animal. It was not a human cry, for he was not human, either. It was not a dragon cry, for he was not a dragon. 

It was the cry of my friend. 

I have not seen him in three and a half years. 

I wailed back, a dragon’s wail. My wail told him how I missed his voice, his eyes, his love… our talks.

When I went silent, I was afraid I had made too much noise. But Dragon Little did not stir. I heard the villains stair, but at that moment I did not care. 

When I went silent, he wailed back, telling me how much he loved me and missed me, telling me how hard it was to wait. 

I cooed back, telling him his voice made me feel better, but how it also made me so sad. 

My voice cracked at the end and I cried. Tears fell from my eyes, huge, dragon tears.

And then he did not wail back. He spoke. No: He did not speak, he whispered. For he knew that I would hear him and he knew that no one else must.

“Wait…” he whispered. “Wait… Wait… Until she’s ready. Until she tells us she’s ready.” 

I made one more wail. A short one only to tell him I had heard him. 

And then I was silent. 

And the dream became silent. 

Except for the villains…

—Told by The Red Dragon

#329: Joy’s Fifth Birthday: Joy’s Nickname

#327: The Red Dragon’s Wail