Precious Baby Dragon by Headline Books / Zoom Into Books

Precious the Baby Dragon

Dr. Dawn Menge

ISBN GENERATE NEW ISBN (paperback) ISBN GENERATE NEW ISBN (digital) Copyright © 2023 by Dr. Dawn Menge. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the email address below. Land of Quails House queenvernitasvisitors@yahoo.com www.queenvernita.net Printed in the United States of America

“Hurry and finish your breakfast my Queen. It’s a beautiful day and I want to walk along the beach this gorgeous morning before we begin ruling our magical Kingdom of Quails.” “What a marvelous idea my King. I can hear the ocean roars and the birds singing their melodies.” The Queen finished her breakfast and immediately started dressing for their walk.

The royal couple was soon walking along the ocean waves heading towards the cliffs that their castle covered in red roses is built on. As they were passing the cave entrance that the bad dragon had lived in, they heard a strange noise. There was a faint crying and crackling sound coming from inside the cave. “What is that noise my King? Do you think the bad dragon has come back to cause us more harm?” The Queen grabbed the king’s arm, fearful that the kingdom would begin to suffer again from the dragon’s anger. “The dragon has left our kingdom at my command. Let’s go inside and explore the cave to find out where that noise is coming from.” It was damp and dark inside and the king had to light a candle to find their way. Hand in hand they cautiously entered the deep ocean cave.

Suddenly, the Queen let out a delighted screech! “Look! It’s an egg. I can see a nose peeking out from the cracks. The baby dragon is trying to come into the world. The bad dragon left her baby here for us. What should we do? Do you think the baby is bad like the mother dragon was?” “No, my Queen Giggles. If we raise the baby and teach her to be good and helpful, she will bring brightness and kindness to our Kingdom just as the bad dragon had promised us that she would do. I believe the bad dragon left the egg to repair the damage that she had done to our lands in her jealousy and anger.” “Let’s help her hatch from her protective eggshell and take her back to our castle. She will need to be cared for as she is only a baby all alone in this cave. “As the Queen was carefully removing the eggshells from around the baby dragon, she noticed a bright purple lightning bolt on the shell. “I wonder what this means?” she quietly said to herself as she picked up the baby and wrapped her in her skirts layers and they walked out into the bright sunshine with their new baby dragon.

The children of the kingdom loved the new baby dragon. They loved her so much that they named her Precious. The Queen took her to the school yard each day so she could learn to play nicely with the villagers’ children. They loved her so much they invited her to sit in class and learn about kindness, compassion and how to help others. One bright Spring day the King and Queen were sitting in the school yard reading a tale about a good dragon who helped all her villagers. In the delightful story the dragon was breathing fire to light the town’s fireplaces and flying around the kingdom to help guard the precious villagers. The adult dragon was also using her strength to pull the plows in the fields to help the villagers grow bigger and better crops.

“How come I can’t breathe fire and fly like the dragon in the story? I’m a magical dragon.” Precious thought to herself. She became so sad she left the group and wandered into the forest. She walked until her little legs became tired and she found herself on the brim of the caldera of the volcano on the edge of the volcanic island on which they lived. The baby dragon was so sad that she wasn’t watching where she was walking and slipped and fell into the shallow caldera. “Oh, no! What am I going to do now? It’s too tall for me to climb out and no one knows where I have gone.” Thought the baby dragon to herself. Baby Precious plopped herself down on the caldera floor in sadness, not knowing what to do to get herself out.

HHHIIISSS, gurgle, gurgle, pop, pop! The baby dragon looked up and noticed that there was a steaming red-hot mound of lava that was beginning to rise. As she watched the mound become bigger and bigger, the lava blew big bubbles into the air of hot steam that popped with a loud sound. POP! POP! The baby grew scared and started to flap her dragon wings as hard as she could to get away from the lava. As she did this her toes came up off the ground. Startled, she stopped flapping her wings and plopped back down onto the ground. What just happened? She began flapping her wings again and rose higher and higher into the air. “I’m flying, I’m flying!” She became so excited that she started to breathe big deep breaths and blow out.

First, a whiff of hot air came out of her mouth, then a puff of black smoke. As the dragon flapped her wings harder and harder her breath came out from deeper within her body. The black smoke turned into red hot flames. The flames were so strong that they helped to catapult her out of the caldera, and she flew high above the lands. “Look at me! I’m flying, I’m flying!” She was so excited that she almost ran into the top of a tree. She so enjoyed flying that she stayed there for hours, flying high above the lands, the castle, and the ocean. “The kingdom of Quails is so beautiful from above. I can see the villagers working in their fields, the children playing in the school yard and the King and Queen walking along the orange sand beach. The sun is setting on the horizon, and it will soon be dark. I need to get back to the castle. I will surprise the King and Queen in the morning with my special magical powers.” The dragon said to herself in dragon speak.

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh the Queen heard in her dreams. The queen could feel the warmth of the morning sun on her face and a light breeze was blowing her hair. She slowly opened one eye and then another. “My King, what are you doing? It’s very breezy in our bedchambers this morning.” “It’s not me my Queen. Look outside our balcony window.” The queen sat up and turned to see what the king was pointing at right outside their open glass doors. “Precious, you’re flying! How did this happen? You are a grown-up dragon now. I’m so proud of you!” The Queen ran out to pet her favorite dragon on the nose and give her a big kiss. Baby Precious was so happy at the Queen’s response she flew high into the sky and showed them all the new flying tricks she’d learned how to do early that morning. Summersaults, dive bombs, twirling plummets with a sudden change of direction and even flying backwards. “I am so impressed by your flying skills baby Precious. You are no longer our baby dragon. You have a new place in our Kingdom. We will have a banquet and ball in your honor and I will make you an official dragon knight! It will be your duty to help me patrol our kingdom by air.” 18

That night of the banquet and ball soon arrived. Everyone from far and wide traveled to attend, Even the most royal highness Queen Vernita came from her kingdom in the farthest parts of the Land of Quails. All the guests gathered in the main throne room to watch in awe as the very first dragon ever was knighted. “Hear Ye, hear ye, I now Knight Dame Precious Dragon as the first flying knight in the kingdom of Quails of the Land of Oceaneers. I have given him the power to protect by air from all who might enter the skies. Do you promise to protect our Kingdom with all your heart and to be loyal to our villagers?” King Teddy Bear announced as he slowly brought down the royal sword upon the dragon’s back where her wings met each other. The mighty dragon knight kneeled and bowed her head in agreement with the oath. The Queen brushed a small drop of happiness that had fallen from her teary eyes. The kingdom had been through so much from the bad dragon’s behavior. But her baby was exactly what the kingdom needed to heal and learn that not all dragons are bad. The King and Queen had raised Precious to be kind, to have compassion and now she was going to be brave and protective. The King and Queen knew that there would be no more harm done to their precious villagers. The knighting ceremony lasted for 30 days and 30 nights. Everyone was so happy they didn’t want it to end. 20

The dragon spent many years and years flying high in the sky with the King guarding the Kingdom of Quails, she used her fire to light the villagers’ cooking fires, and torches for light. She visited the school year each week to join the Queen and King as they read a story to the village children. They loved taking turns going riding on her back soaring above the schoolhouse with their favorite dragon. Knight Precious Dragon was enlisted to help plow the fields so that the villagers’ crops flourished, and they had an abundance of food in which they shared among the other Kingdoms.

As the years passed Knight dragon began to feel lonely for other dragons. She loved her life but was beginning to feel sad watching all the schoolchildren grow up and start their own families. She began to wonder if there were other dragons in the Land of Quails and what their lives were like. The King, Queen and Dragon spent many nights sitting by the roaring fire in the Great Chambers discussing the Knight Dragon’s dreams of other dragons.

One day the King headed to the chancery within his castle and asked the chancellor to send a document to all neighboring kingdoms. “Under my official rule I would like to visit those Kingdoms that have dragons surrounding them. Where are the dragons located and how many dragons are in each thunder?” The chancery sent this proclamation out and they all waited for a response. Months passed and the King still had not heard of a suitable match for his mighty knight Precious dragon.

“King Teddy Bear, King Teddy Bear” the chancellor ran throughout the hallways searching far and wide for the king. “Where is the king? Has anyone seen him? I have an important message I just received from the Kingdom of Kuna. I must find the King,” The Queen did not hear all this commotion within the castle walls. She had gone for a walk through the enchanted forest. It was a beautiful Spring day, the flowers were blooming, birds were singing and there were newly born fawns grazing in the meadow. She sat for hours just watching them as baby rabbits hopped around her and she created a crown from the flowers she had collected. The day was coming to an end and the queen started back towards the castle.

She found an area filled with amazingly colored butterflies fluttering all around her and hummingbirds darting to and fro. She became entranced by their dancing flights and the butterflies landed on her fingers. They flew up to her face and gave her butterfly kisses on top of her nose. She was having such a glorious time that she forgot to be careful where she was walking as she reached the edge of the volcanic caldera. She reached out to touch a hummingbird zinging by and slipped and began to fall in the caldera. The same place where the dragon had fallen so many years before.

Suddenly, she was being held in the strong arms of her King Teddy Bear. Knight Dragon and the King had come looking for the Queen with their fabulous news and the dragon saw the Queen stumble and fall into the caldera. They had heard from the neighboring kingdom Kuna and they had a dragon they wanted Knight Precious dragon to meet. The Queen grabbed the King tightly around the neck and nestled into him as the three flew towards the setting sun and the Kingdom of Kuna. “OOPS! I fell into the volcano!” the Queen whispered to the King. “No worries my Queen. I will always keep you safe and loved.”

Books by Dr. Dawn Menge Precious Baby Dragon Dragons Breath Queen Vernita Meets Sir Heathybean the Astrinomer Queen Vernita’s Magical Christmas Train Ride Queen Vernita Finds More Colors Than a Box of Crayons

Dr. Dawn Menge has won ninety international awards and 120 international film festival awards for her Queen Vernita's Educational Series and Dragon's Breath, including the Special Recognition Champion Award from Conquering Disabilities with Film, Best Written Word from Miracle Makers Film, Hollywood Dreams Film and International Author Boss Award from Power Conversations Magazine. Her published works also include: THE SIX FEDERAL INDIVIDUAL EDUCATION PLAN GOALS AND THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THEIR IMPLEMENTATION IN PREPARING FOR TRANSITION. Dr. Dawn Menge has a PHD in Education. She specializes in Curriculum and Instruction. She also holds a master’s and a Clear Credential in Moderate/ Severe Disabilities and a Bachelor's Degree in Human Development. Dr. Dawn Menge has been teaching students with severe cognitive delays for over twenty years, and mentors/lectures graduate students. Dr. Dawn Menge is the mother of three, and the grandmother of six beautiful grandchildren.

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