A Bedtime Story

A slice of silver moonlight flowed through the bedroom window and across the bed as Shane Blackthorn looked gravely at his two younger brothers. "Have you been good all day?" Twin heads nodded, the covers pulled up so far only the eyes and hair of the boys were visible. "They got their new tunics dirty playing in the mud." That from red-haired Arista in the doorway behind Shane. "Been GOOD!", protested Calen, as Conn nodded vigorously next to him. Shane grinned to himself; their sister had turned into a second mother to the two youngest, and from his ripe old age of eleven he sometimes thought Ari took it a bit too seriously.

"Story?"

Shane nodded, not sure which twin had asked. "Yes, a story."

"Dragons!" That came from Conn. Conn had returned from a visit to Uncle Corwin's and Aunt Susan's talking about dragons. Now Ari moved over to sit on the corner of the bed, it wasn't that long ago that she had wanted to be a dragon herself. Shane nodded to the three of them. "Dragon, and elves. Uncle Ashe told me this one."

"Long and long ago, when the world was young, there was only the beasts that walked, flew, or swam. But in the sky above were stars, and the spirits of stars, forever shining in the night. Now one night the star spirits chanced upon the Earth, and being of a curious nature they came down from the sky to look around." Here, Shane drew on his Gift and tiny sparks of moonlight seemed to flit about the room. The twins giggled, but Ari only sat and watched wide-eyed, her eyes reflecting the pale light. "Most stayed a short time, but others, others felt a bond to this place, and went to the Goddess, and asked if they might stay."

`If you do,' she said. `you cannot stay star spirits. You must wear flesh like the other creatures of earth' "They talked among themselves and then agreed. `We will wear flesh, Mother'" Now Shane waved his hand, and the small flecks of light whirled faster and faster. "They set about fashioning their new bodies. Some, who came from the very brightest stars, plunged under the earth, and from fire and earth and starlight were the first dragons born. Others danced across the seas and from water and starlight were the People of the Foam born." Again a motion, and tiny dragons and merfolk floated over the bedcovers. The twins crowed with laughter, but Shane saw the longing on Ari's face, and not for the first time wished he could give her some of his magic.

Something made her look at him at just that moment, and she gave him a soft smile. "Finish it, Shane. Tell the rest." He nodded, and went on.

"And the rest danced over the earth, and from starlight and wind and earth were the first elves born. So elves are the Children of the Stars, and because they were born first, the dragons are our older sibs, and... "

"That's where we come from." The whisper came from Conn; his twin was already asleep. Ari stood, tucked the blankets around the boys and kissed each one softly on the forehead before she looked at Shane again.

"Good night, Shane. Thank you"
"`Night `Ari."

She nodded, moving past him for the door to her bedroom. Shane watched her, then whispered. "Sleep well, sister."

He went off to his own bed, but behind him, the dragons lingered until the first light of dawn.