Free Tiny Dragons 1: The Sky Dragons by Bernard Schaffer Page A

him and climbed onto the trampoline, bouncing as high as she could, showing him how much fun it would be.  James shrugged, said, "Suit yourself," and vanished back inside the kitchen. 
    Alana jumped down from the trampoline and tried kicking a soccer ball against the shed and sliding down the slide, but it just wasn't as much fun without someone else to do all those things with.  She decided she might as well go inside and play video games after all.  Alana gave the soccer ball another kick, but it missed the shed and rolled into the tall grass out of view. 
    "Aw, nuts," Alana mumbled as she headed off to retrieve the ball.  Much to her surprise, the ball suddenly came rushing back out of the grass and rolled under the trampoline.  
    Alana put her hands on her hips and smirked at the ball.  She knew exactly what was going on.  James was always playing these kinds of pranks on her.  It would be just like him to have snuck out the front door, come around the side of the house, hidden behind the shed, and then try to leap out of the grass and scare her. 
    "Nice try, big brother," Alana whispered, deciding that this time, she was going to get him instead. 
    Alana crouched low and crept on her tippy-toes around the corner of the shed, grinning with anticipation at turning the tables on her big brother and getting him to be the one that yelled in surprise this time.  She pressed herself against the shed's door and took a deep breath, then jumped around the corner and shouted, "I got you!" 
    A shining black lizard -thing as big as Alana shot its head up from the grass in fright and cried out.  The creature's wings expanded from its side wider than its body, wobbling backwards as it reared up on its hind legs, trying to balance. 
    Alana opened her mouth to holler in surprise at the sight of the thing, but almost as soon as it was up on its back legs, it toppled out of sight into the grass with a loud grunt.  Alana heard the creature moan, "Ouch."
    "Are you okay?" Alana said.  She inched forward to get a better look at the creature and saw its smooth, shining, black skin that glistened like her mother's car after they washed and waxed it. 
    It was no bigger than a dog, really , and as Alana made her way toward the front of the creature's face, now buried in fright under its wings, she realized it wasn't a lizard at all.  It was actually a tiny dragon. 
    A field of shining stars covered the dragon's wings, sparkling in the sunlight as the creature covered himself and tried to hide.  "I can't believe it," Alana whispered, staring at him in astonishment.  "You're a real dragon!"
    "I can't believe it either," the dragon muttered.  "You're a h-h-human."  The dragon was shivering under its wings and said, "Please don't eat me.  Don't turn me into a rug or a pair of shoes, and most of all, please, I beg you, please don't make me go to that horrible place!"
    Alana saw the dragon was terrified and instantly felt sorry for scaring him.  She bent down to him and said, "Of course, I'm not going to hurt you.  What horrible place are you talking about?"
    "Your r-r-room!" the dragon groaned.
    "My room?" Alana said in confusion.  "What's wrong with my room?"
    "Every dragon knows that when a human child gets in trouble their parents threaten to send them to their room ."  The dragon's whole body shuddered at the mention of the words. 
    Alana shook her head and laughed, "That's the silliest thing I've ever heard.  Here, look at me." 
    The dragon slowly uncovered his eyes and looked up at Alana.  He had bright green eyes the color of emeralds with wide, thick eyelashes.  "Okay," he whispered. 
    "Don't you have a room in your house?" Alana said.
    "My house? " he said. 
    "Your house.  Where you live with your family?"
    "You mean my cave?" the dragon said.
    "That must be it," Alana said.  "Do you live with your family in a cave?"
    "No," the dragon said.  "I live with the other dragons there.  My parents are away