A MAGICAL ENCOUNTER — Love at first laugh

At last, an elderly dragon remembered a rather peculiar mango tree growing on the far edge of the village. At certain times of day, when the wind stirred its leaves, it seemed to be laughing. The neighbors found this suspicious and preferred to walk on by.

The old dragon decided to take Skyblue there. He was careful not to mention that particular detail, in case it frightened her.

She stopped the moment she saw it.

It was a leafy tree with a sturdy trunk and spreading branches. Something about its presence in the forest felt welcoming to Skyblue, as though it had made room for someone without yet knowing who that someone would be.

She had no need to ask her question.

The tree smiled at her. Then it lowered a branch, just a little, in a gesture she understood as a welcome.

It was love at first laugh.

“This one,” said Skyblue.

The old dragon felt so relieved that he almost forgot to keep his stern expression.

“You should know it’s old,” he warned her. “It hasn’t flowered or borne fruit in a very long time.”

She did not mind. She was not looking for a harvest.

She went up to the trunk, wrapped her wings around it, and decided to call him Ernesto.