Did it really happen?

Dani spent the whole day in a daze.

She clung to her memories from the morning... ignoring everybody, and everything else that was happening that day.  She wandered the streets where other children were playing and she didn't hear they call for her to join them.  She only showed a cursory nod to some of her neighbors that said hello.

She walked to the forest, where she normally played by herself, and just sat on a log hugging her knees remembering the smooth warm skin of the dragon in her bed that morning.

Over and over again she questioned herself.  Did it really happen?

She found herself later on at a rocky hillside where she often like to throw rocks at larger rocks, or in a nearby brook.  Today she just sat in the shade remembering the dragons warm gaze at her.

After supper, she went in her room as she usually did.  Instead of playing with her doll, she just sat on the floor, and stared at her bed, thinking about it's cute little yawn when it woke up, and the way it stretched out it's wings before it flew away.

Her mom came into the room to help her prepare for bed.  "Dani, why is your dresser a mess?  You are usually so good about keeping your things clean?"

Dani thought this was odd, and walked over to her dresser to investigate as her mom put away her clothes.  The things on her dresser were messed up... spread around.  Plus it seemed there was just more of it!  Her dolls were still there, just knocked over, but there seemed to be more rocks.  Dani picked up one she didn't recognize, and held the flat, curved piece in her hand.  It had broken recently, and part of it was rough, and the other side quite smooth.  Dani compared it to some of the others, and many of them were the same.

Dani looked over the rocks again, and didn't see the large rock, with purple quartz.  She held up one of the larger pieces in her hand and held it up to the remaining sunlight where the purple quartz glittered with it's usual pretty colors.

Dani clutched the piece to her chest and a huge smile beamed from her lips.

The large rock she had adored so much was an egg... the dragon had hatched right here on her dresser last night!  It did happen!