The Dragon Who Wanted Tea
Suki, a small princess in a starry nightgown, hears a gentle knock at the castle door and finds a shy dragon who only wants to be invited to tea. Together they set a table under the moon, and the night turns cozy and kind.
Made on Nightstory, and shared. The child's name has been changed.
A Knock at the Castle Door
In the quiet of the castle, when the moon was already up and the stars were already out, Princess Suki heard a knock. Not a loud knock. Not a bang-bang-bang knock. A soft knock. A tip-tap knock. A knock so small it almost wasn't there at all. Suki tiptoed down the hall in her soft pink nightgown with the tiny stars on it. The floor was cool. The castle was sleepy. The whole world was hushed and still. She reached the big wooden door. She put her hand on the latch. She opened the door just a little. And there, on the doorstep, stood a dragon. A small dragon. A round dragon. A moss-green dragon with a pale, pale belly and tiny wings folded up like little umbrellas. He was holding a teacup. He looked up at Suki with big amber eyes, and he smiled a shy, hopeful smile, as if he had been waiting a very long time for someone to open the door.
The Dragon's Wish
The dragon held up his teacup. It was a small teacup, and it was empty. "I have been waiting," he said, in a voice like a kettle just before it sings, "for someone to invite me to tea." Suki looked at his big amber eyes. She looked at his tiny wings, folded up like little umbrellas. She looked at his shy, hopeful smile. "I only want to be invited," said the dragon. "That is all. Just to sit, and sip, and stay a while." Suki smiled her biggest, warmest, moonlit smile. "Then come in," she said. "Come in and have tea with me." The dragon's wings fluttered, just a little. His round green shoulders let out a long, soft breath, like a sigh that had been waiting all night to be a happy one. So in he came, tip-tap, tip-tap, and Suki led him down the sleepy hall and out to the courtyard, where the moon was pouring silver on a small round table, and the stars leaned close to watch.
Tea Under the Moon
The little round table had two chairs, and one was just the right size for a dragon. Suki set down two teacups — one for her, one for him. She poured the warm tea, slow and careful, and the steam curled up like a sleepy kitten. The dragon set down a plate of biscuits, each one shaped like a little star. They sipped. They sat. The moon poured silver on their shoulders. Then the dragon tried to balance a biscuit on his nose. It wobbled. It wiggled. It slid right off — plop — into his teacup with a tiny splash. Suki giggled. The dragon giggled too, a low rumble like a purring kettle. They sipped and they sat, and the stars leaned close, and nobody said a single word about bedtime.
A Sleepy Goodnight
The dragon set down his teacup with a soft clink. He looked at the moon. He looked at the stars. He looked at Suki. "Thank you," he said, "for inviting me." His tiny wings unfolded, slow and quiet, like two little umbrellas opening. He lifted off the chair, up, up, just a little way, and drifted over the courtyard wall like a leaf on a breeze. On the table, where his cup had been, sat one small biscuit shaped like a star. Suki carried it inside. She climbed into bed and pulled her quilt up to her chin. She yawned one big yawn. Outside, the moon poured silver on the quiet castle, and the stars leaned close, and Suki smiled, and her eyes grew sleepy, and she drifted off to sleep.
The end.