Learning To Fly

• Thomas Rankin, Grade 4
• Short Story
• 2012

One fine day as Mama Dragon was cooking lime-stones in the kitchen and Baby Dragon was playing in the nest with all of his friends, Mama Dragon decided to teach Baby Dragon how to fly. Since Papa Dragon had flown away in pursuit of a giant runaway lime-stone, she had been lonely, flying alone. She wanted some company in the sky! So she went down the wooden hallway to get Baby Dragon. When Mama Dragon asked Baby Dragon to come with her, Baby Dragon put up quite a fight. “I WAS PLAYING HIDE AND SEEK!” wailed Baby Dragon, when Mama Dragon finally managed to pick him up. He kicked and turned and flailed his arms, but Mama‘s grip was too strong. Mama Dragon took him outside and scolded him for embarrassing her in front of his friends. Then Mama Dragon told him that he had to learn how to fly. Then he put up another fight. Mama Dragon simply ignored him, grabbed him by the hand, and leaped out of the nest. She spread her wings and started flying. “Wow!” gasped Baby Dragon. “See how fun flying can be?” she asked. “I want to fly on my own now!” He let go of Mama Dragon’s hand and went flying downward. “THIS IS NOT FLYING!” he shouted, as he spiraled down. When he landed, he was in a small forest and a cloud of dust swirled around him. He rubbed his bottom and walked all the way back to the nest. Mama was hovering above the door, waiting for him. “Sorry Baby Dragon”, she said, “How about we try one more time?” “I don’t want to!” Then Mama Dragon cheered him up by giving him a golden scale she had just found. He put it on. “Ooh sparkly! Now I can fly!” He flapped his tiny wings confidently, and he started to hover next to Mama. “I’M FLYING!” he exclaimed. “I’M DOING IT! I’M DOING IT! MAMA! I’M FLYING!” Then he fell down again. This time he scratched one of his small purple-blue scales, but he kept on trying. Up and down, up and down, up and down. He did it until the middle of the night! However, he kept on trying. He was shouting that he could do it all night. Everyone was annoyed by him, continuously shouting. Poor Mama Dragon! She was so tired that she felt she could sleep for a month! But still, Baby Dragon flapped his tiny wings until he got bored. Then he went over to Mama and woke her up. He said: “Follow me!” He started zipping and turning in the air. He turned and dived and swirled and twirled. Then he came back to Mama again, and this time he said: “It’s bed time. Baby Dragon had had a long day.” When he woke up it was day-time, and to his annoyance Mama was gone. He went up the twirly staircase and said good morning to Mama Dragon.