Unexpected
The dragon was sad. Did you know that a dragon can be sad? I didn’t. This one was so, very sad. Great big tears were falling down his green, scaly cheeks. Of course you knew he was green, because all dragons are green, right? Well, this dragon was huge and green, with yellow eyes and black, leathery wings. He was scary-looking and could breathe fire like all dragons. The only unexpected thing was that he was sitting all alone by a quiet lake, crying his yellow eyes out. Now, what do you think a dragon would cry about? I’ll tell you: marshmallows. Although he’d never tasted one, the dragon believed with all his heart that a marshmallow had to be the tastiest thing in the world. He knew it when he held the fluffy, puffy white thing in his hand. Here was the problem: he had a big bag of marshmallows, but he couldn’t eat a single one. Oh trust me, he had tried. You could tell by all the burnt, black crumbly things around him. Every one of those had been a marshmallow. He’d picked each one up in his claw and brought it to his mouth. But as soon as those scary jaws opened, fire shot out and turned the marshmallow from white yumminess to charcoal. He’d tried over and over, but no luck. Beaten and broken-hearted, he gave up. Accepting the unbearable thought that he'd never taste one.
Far below the surface of the lake, a mermaid sat on a bed of algae, bored out of her mind. She had no one to talk to and nothing to do. Of course she was beautiful with her blue, shimmery scales and fiery, red hair. She desperately wanted some entertainment, a break from the peace and solitude. There was a slight whining sound from above the water. At first she thought it was the wind, but it sounded more like the whimper of a child. She shot up to the surface to check it out. There she saw the dragon, pouting on the shore. Now this was interesting.
“What’s wrong?” the mermaid asked. She wasn’t surprised to see a big, green dragon sitting by the lake. You or I would be scared silly, but she was a mermaid after all. A dragon just wasn’t all that strange to her.
The dragon didn’t seem shocked to have a mermaid shoot out of the water and start asking questions.
“I’m so sad” he replied in an unexpectedly silky voice.
“Why?”
“Because I want to eat one of these marshmallows so badly, but I can’t. Every time I try, I burn it up before it reaches my tongue. It’s hopeless,” he whined.
The mermaid didn’t respond for a while. This was a problem and she had to think it through. Finally she had an idea.
“Want to come over for a picnic?” she asked, casually.
The dragon really didn’t feel like socializing. He just wanted to have a good long mope, all by himself. But it wasn’t every day that he got an invite, so he nodded. Without another word, the mermaid turned and dove under the water. Immediately, her head popped back up. “Bring the marshmallows,” she said before plunging under the water again.
The dragon groaned and grabbed the bag. He stood up and shuffled into the water, sinking below the surface where he’d last seen the mermaid. He followed her flipping tale through the murkiness. The deeper waters of the lake were clear and he could see everything around him as crisply as if he’d been in the sunlight above. Below he saw a little valley in the lake floor. The mermaid swam straight towards this. She settled on the algae carpet. The dragon slowed and settled across from her. He looked at the beautiful creature with sad, tired eyes. What was he doing here? The mermaid pointed at the bag and then at his mouth.
He shook his head, too tired to humor her. But she did the same pointing routine and so he reached into the bag and lifted a marshmallow. He closed his eyes as his mouth opened, knowing what came next. But nothing happened. The perfect, white treat just hovered in front of him, waiting to be gobbled. In disbelief, he popped it into his mouth. The explosion of sweetness made his eyes water. Oh my! It tasted even better than he had dreamed. With wonder and joy he ate another and another. The mermaid beamed at him. It was the happiest moment in the dragon's long, lonely life.
From that time on, the dragon and mermaid met at the bottom of the lake regularly for marshmallow picnics. They spent time on the shore, too, building complicated sand castles. They chased each other through the water. Sometimes they talked and sang into the night. Other times they simply floated on their backs and stared at the clouds or stars in the sky. Their friendship was unexpected and sweet. Just like a marshmallow.
